Former Udinese sporting director Nicola Larini discussed Inter forward Alexis Sanchez and how long the Nerazzurri have wanted the Chilean forward in an interview with Italian media outlet TuttoMercatoWeb yesterday.
“Honestly, he is a player of great quality and I am not surprised to see him so high. He was also unlucky because every time he went to the national team he came back with some issues. He can do even more than he has done so far, especially if he plays consistently.
“In this way he would find more confidence in himself. In my opinion, he has had a few injuries because when he comes in, he wants to show he can fight the world and he runs with exaggerated consistency, sprinting from area to area and pressing everything. In this way you can suffer on a muscular level.”
He touched on the Chilean forward’s sale to Barcelona from Udinese and the interest from the Nerazzurri.
“It was excellent from the point of view of capital gain and the market. We had dealt with him for 6-7 months with Italian clubs, including Inter, but the deal stalled on the price, which was half of what Barcelona paid.
“We could have closed the deal at half the price provided they left us until June. That valuation was considered too high.”
Finally, Larini spoke about Sanchez’s role and the position he played at Udinese.
“He has never been a real striker, he has been a support player for the other forward. At Udinese he came back to our area, always tracking back. Obviously, he can also be a striker, but his ideal role is behind a forward.”
The 32-year-old Sanchez, who is contracted to the Milanese club until 2023, has made 14 appearances across all competitions so far this season, for a total of 657 minutes. In that time, he has scored two goals and provided three assists.
The player mostly features in a backup role behind the main striking duo of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, and has proven to be a strong substitute due to his tireless work rate and creative output.
Sanchez joined in a permanent deal from Premier League side Manchester United in the summer after impressing on loan last campaign.
