Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez insisted he has "no regrets" about joining Manchester United after his disastrous spell at Old Trafford came to an end following a season-long loan move to Inter Milan last week.
Sanchez, 30, joined United from Premier League rivals Arsenal in January 2018, becoming the club's highest earner on around £400,000 (Dh1.76m) a week. While he moved to United amid much fanfare - complete with a piano-playing introductory video - Sanchez failed to find his best form, scoring just five goals in 45 games.
His nightmare spell in Manchester came to an end on August 29 when Sanchez made a loan switch to Inter, ensuring an immediate reunion with Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian striker had earlier completed a club record €80m (Dh321m) move to the San Siro.
"I'm very happy I went to Manchester United," Sanchez told BBC Sport. "I've always said that. It's the club that's won the most in England.
"When I went to Arsenal it was fantastic - I was happy there - but United were growing at the time, they were buying players to win something.
"I wanted to join them and win everything. I don't regret going there."
Sanchez's United form was in stark contrast to the displays he consistently produced for Arsenal. After joining the London club for £30m from Barcelona in July 2014, the Chilean went on to score 80 goals in 166 matches, establishing himself as one of the best players in the Premier League.
Throughout his time at Arsenal and United, Sanchez continued to deliver for his national team, leading Chile to successive Copa America titles, in 2015 and 2016, before helping the team to the semi-finals in 2019.
Sanchez believes that if he was given more opportunities for regular playing time at United, he would have been able to emulate his Chile form for the club.
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European transfer deadline day: the biggest deals
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Radamel Falcao - Monaco to Galatasaray. The Colomnian striker, 33, was reportedly greeted by 25,000 fans in Istanbul on Sunday as he arrived to complete a move from Monaco. Reuters -
Alphonse Areola - PSG to Real Madrid. The French international goalkeeper joined Real Madrid on a season-long loan. Reuters -
Keylor Navas - Real Madrid to PSG. The Costa Rican made the opposite switch to Areola, joining the French champions on a four-year contract. EPA -
Rafinha Alcantara - Barcelona to Celta Vigo - Rafinha returns to the club where he played his youth football on loan for the 2019/20 season. EPA -
Ante Rebic - Eintracht Frankfurt to AC Milan. The Croatia forward has agreed a two-year loan with the Italian giants. EPA -
Andre Silva (left) - AC Milan to Eintracht Frankfurt. The Portuguese striker moves to the German side as part of a swap deal with Ante Rebic. EPA -
Fernando Llorente - free agent to Napoli. The Spanish striker has been without a club since leaving Spurs at the end of last season. Reuters -
Javier Hernandez - West Ham to Sevilla. The Mexican striker completed a £7.24 million move to the Spanish side on Monday. Reuters -
Mauro Icardi - Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine striker will seek better fortune at PSG after being frozen out by his Italian club under Antonio Conte. AP Photo -
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Arsenal to Roma. The Armenian winger poses for photographers upon his arrival in Rome ahead of signing on a season-long loan with the Italian club. EPA -
Matteo Darmian - Manchester United to Parma. The Italian defender signed for the Serie A club on a four-year deal after four years at Old Trafford. Getty
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"I think that I'm happy when I play for my national team," he said. "I was happy at Manchester United too, but I've always said to my friends: I want to play.
"If they would let me play I'll do my best. Sometimes I'd play 60 minutes then I wouldn't play the next game - and I didn't know why."
Prior to his move to Inter, Sanchez did not feature for United in the Premier League this season, with the club stating that he had picked up an injury while on Copa America duty.
Sanchez, however, has disputed those claims and said he was ready to play, despite a limited pre-season.
"I felt fine," he said. "I think I did well in the Copa America. After that, it depended on the coach to let me play. You need to ask him this question, not me."
