Alexis Sanchez was a success at Arsenal FC. Today, he is in Manchester United as the highest paid player in the Barclays English Premier League with a weekly £350,000 a week wages- the highest in the EPL.
He has been given the ICONIC number 7 shirt, which former great players such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo made famous.
Will Sanchez surpass the feat of these greats?
With the arrival of the club’s latest number 7 custodian, Alexis Sanchez – we take a look at Manchester United Players who have worn the number 7 Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s Departure are:
1. Memphis Depay
The Netherlands international was signed in 2015 and was reunited with his former international manager Louis van Gaal. However, Depay failed to nail down a starting place in the team and was plagued by inconsistency.
His reluctance to do his defensive duties meant that he often started on the bench. The arrival of Jose Mourinho was the beginning of the end for Depay who left for Lyon in January where he has impressed till now.
2. Angel Di Maria
Di Maria was signed from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 and started his career superbly, scoring an incredible chipped goal against Leicester City. But his failure to adapt to England affected his performances on the pitch and he was unable to put in displays that convinced Louis van Gaal to shell out in excess of £60 million for him.
The Argentine left after just one season, after falling out with the manager and moved to French giants Pars Saint-Germain.
3. Antonio Valencia
Prior to the beginning of the 2012/13 season, Antonio Valencia decided to take up the vacant number seven jersey but it would prove to be unlucky for him. Despite Manchester United winning the Premier League, Valencia was unable to influence proceedings, scoring just one goal throughout the season.
The Ecuador international wore the number seven jersey for just that season before changing back to his preferred 25 which he wears to this day.
4. Michael Owen
The first recipient of the number seven jersey once Ronaldo left was Michael Owen, who was at the tail end of his career by then and failed to make much of an impression under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Now the big question:
Will Alexis Sanchez succeed in Manchester United with the ICONIC jersey number 7 where others failed since the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo?
