Alexis Sanchez is in the Manchester United squad to face Yeovil in the FA Cup on Friday night with Jose Mourinho warning that his new signing will put players under pressure for their places.
Sanchez could make his debut against the League Two strugglers at Huish Park after completing his move from Arsenal in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mourinho confirmed Sanchez’s inclusion on Thursday and admitted that the Chile star’s arrival will force Romelu Lukaku, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to fight for a place in the team.
Alexis Sanchez was pictured arriving at Carrington ahead of Manchester United training
Sanchez trained with his new team-mates ahead of United’s clash with Yeovil on Friday
Jose Mourinho was speaking to reporters ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Yeovil
‘This is life in big clubs,’ he said. ‘It’s a very, very important addition for us. Now we have five attacking players of high quality – Mata, Rashford, Lukaku, Martial, Alexis – and it’s fantastic for me and for the team. If the players one day are on the bench and don’t like it, I’m happy with that.
‘In big clubs you have big players, you have competition, you have responsibilities, you have to perform always, you have to try to go to every competition in a serious way.
‘You cannot do that with 11 players, it’s impossible. So the players in big clubs know the squad is 20 something where everybody wants to play.
‘What we cannot do is play 12 at the same time, start with 12 in a certain match, but there is space and need for everybody.
Sanchez was confirmed as a Manchester United player on Monday after leaving Arsenal
‘I think is absolutely fundamental and we want to improve all the time, do better and better and better. We want to achieve big things and will not stop until we do that.
‘The evolution of the players is important, I’m really happy and have to say with some pride that the evolution of (Jesse) Lingard, (Anthony) Martial, Scott McTominay, these kind of young guys.
‘But you also need a combination with (Nemanja) Matic, Alexis, people with more experience, with more knowhow, that was before in positions where we want to be fighting for titles.’
Sanchez will be itching to make his Red Devils debut against the League Two outfit in the FA Cup after Mourinho’s announcement, although the cup clash will not provide the glamorous surroundings he prodominantly signed for.
Meanwhile, Sanchez took a tour of a five-bedroom mansion on Wednesday in Greater Manchester.
The £2million mansion which Sanchez took a tour of includes a sun terrace, piano room, cinema room and a three-car garage.
Scott McTominay could be handed a role in the clash, with Mourinho happy with his progress
WARM WELCOME FOR SANCHEZ
All eyes will be on Yeovil Town’s Huish Park home this Friday — and not just because Manchester United are in town.
Fans around the world will no doubt be watching the FA Cup fourth-round clash with interest, given Alexis Sanchez could make his United debut.
Ahead of the encounter, they teased the former Arsenal star about the hospitality he can expect should he make his debut at Huish Park.
Posting a tongue-in-cheek message on Twitter, Yeovil showed off the away dressing room Sanchez and Co will be using.
They wrote: ‘You said you’ve joined “the biggest club in the world”. So it’s only right that you start your United career in the biggest away dressing room in League Two.’
By Matt Maltby