Jose Mourinho pulled no punches when attempting to convince Alexis Sanchez to join Manchester United - claiming that it was "important for the club" that he agree to join and turn down interest from Manchester City.
With United trailing City by 12 points in the Premier League table and the title seemingly destined for the Etihad Stadium, Sanchez somewhat surprisingly moved to Old Trafford despite almost joining City in the summer.
He completed his move on Monday , with Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way in a swap deal.
And speaking to United's official website , Sanchez claimed that Mourinho was insistent that the club needed their new No. 7.
"He indicated it is important for the club for me to be here," he told MUTV in his first interview since joining the club.
"I also believe that the club itself cared about me joining and I got the impression that they were keen for me to come here and wear the No. 7 shirt. I think that also gets through to the player.
"Players sometimes need to feel important and loved by the club. That was one of the things that attracted me to come here, along with the manager, who is a person who won everything in Italy, the same as he did in Spain, and I think he is a manager who likes to win."
Mourinho was also full of praise for Sanchez, and hailed him as a perfect addition.
"Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players," he said.
"He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige."