#4 Monetary factor
Alexis Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford in a swap deal, but there was an inherent cost to the deal that did not go unnoticed.
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City were interested in the Chilean. Sanchez himself was reportedly edging towards the blue half of Manchester, when the Red Devils intervened.
In order to prize him away from the clutches of their arch rivals, United made Alexis Sanchez their highest-paid footballer. It was a move that would soon backfire.
As the Chilean failed to have an impact, his sky-high wages left a bad taste at the club. Sanchez was increasingly becoming a liability at Old Trafford and it was also clear that he was no longer in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's plans.
However, because of his sky-high wages, offloading him has been a problem so far for the Red Devils. As such, a loan deal does make sense.
The 10-month deal will see United pay a part of the Chilean's wages, and will cost the club around £6m. However, it is still better than paying his entire astronomical weekly wages and letting him watch from the sidelines. In addition, if he performs well on loan, United may even manage to offload him next summer.
#3 Recent injury history
When Sanchez joined Manchester United in January 2018, he was considered to be one of the fittest players in the league. In a space of 3-and-a-half years with Arsenal, the Chilean had missed just 13 games due to injury.
However, after joining United, the Chilean has been prone to injuries, which has hurt his chances at the club. Sanchez picked up a hamstring injury in November last year and was sidelined for just over a month, missing eight games for United in the process.
He returned at the turn of the year, only to be ruled out for 13 days with thigh problems. At the start of March this year, he picked up a knee injury and was out for almost a month and a half, missing another eight games. At the dead end of last season, the Chilean picked up an ankle injury, which saw him sidelined for another month.
Sanchez has missed 20 games due to injuries alone during his one-and-a-half year tenure with Manchester United, which is why letting him leave on loan is the right decision.