Where will Alexis Sanchez play for Manchester United?

Alexis Sanchez joined Manchester United in a straight swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan joining Arsenal. The new No. 7 of the club is the first Chilean footballer to play for them.

We take a look at where Sanchez could be plying his trade in the Manchester United team with a plethora of attacking players to choose from for Jose Mourinho.

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#5 On the left wing

Left wing is his preferred position

Sanchez played mostly on the left wing while he was at Arsenal. His natural tendency to cut back on his stronger right foot makes him a very dangerous proposition to defend against due to his tremendous shooting ability.

With United's Luke Shaw starting to gain vital form, it will be exciting to see an explosive duo of Shaw and Sanchez bursting down the left flank and splitting defences apart. In Sanchez, United have acquired a player who is comfortable to play on the byline. Combined with the overlapping runs from Shaw, United will enjoy a lot of chance creation from the left side of the field.

Such a formation would mean that either Martial or Rashford would be shifted to the right wing in order to incorporate Sanchez’s strengths in United's game. A 4-2-3-1 with Lukaku upfront, Sanchez on the left wing and Martial/Rashford on the right wing leaving Mata or Lingard in the No. 10 role will be the way to go. It will quite certainly be a very pacey and formidable attack.

#4 On the right wing

Sanchez was really effective on the right wing in the Copa America for Chile

Alternatively, Sanchez could be deployed on the right wing. With United desperately needing a wide man on the right side of the field, the Chilean could solve the problem for the Red Devils. Right-back Valencia has often been the pseudo-winger for United on the right flank which leads to a lopsided formation during the game with virtually no width on the right.

The Chilean’s excellent crossing ability is something that Jose would be pinning his hopes on in this formation. Since Sanchez loves to take on the defenders, it will be beneficial for United to use Sanchez’s ability to dribble and skip past defenders from the wider positions.

The same 4-2-3-1 that United play at the moment is perfect for this as Sanchez can slot in as the right winger with the rest of the players retaining their positions as it is. This might not be Jose’s preferred formation in relation to the players and positions but he could use this in between games when he needs Sanchez to provide the service to Lukaku through whipped-in crosses from the right side in tight games.

#3 As a number nine

Sanchez is a natural goal scorer

While this might not be a recurring formation as far as Lukaku is fit and firing, the ability of the Chilean to slot in as a centre-forward will give Mourinho more options to interchange different players on the pitch.

The Chilean’s finishing is world class and Jose might be pondering upon a partnership between Sanchez and Lukaku for the few away games of the cup competitions in a 3-5-2 formation. The 29-year-old is a proven goal scorer and with a five-man midfield behind his back combined with Pogba also playing a lot closer to him in this formation, this setup could really strike fear into the opposition teams.

While Sanchez and Lukaku play up front in a 3-5-2, Valencia and Young/Shaw could provide the width from either flank. A midfield trio of Pogba, Mata, and Matic as the pivot will be creative enough and defensively solid as well.

#2 As a number 10

Sanchez's linkup play between the striker and the midfielders as a No. 10 is highly underrated

Arguably one of the best roles for the Chilean is the No. 10 position where he just feeds off of the striker. Playing in the space between Lukaku and Pogba would enable him to link up play effectively due to his slick passing accompanied by great movement on and off the ball.

Alexis scored 30 goals for Arsenal last season playing majorly in this position and Jose will be looking to maximize his output by using the Chilean in a similar role. The greatest advantage of deploying a central attacking midfielder like Sanchez is that he will create as many chances for his teammates as many as he will score.

This formation will also allow Sanchez to be as close to the goal as possible and a testing shot from him can always be expected from an appropriate firing range. A front three consisting of Lukaku, Martial, Mata with Sanchez in the No.10 position promises a lot of potential goals and great service to Lukaku as well.

#1 Free roam

With the freedom to roam around, Sanchez is a constant threat

While Mourinho has always preferred specialists in all the positions on the field, Sanchez could instead have a free role at Old Trafford. With the kind of work rate on offer from Sanchez, there is no doubt about the Chilean’s stamina levels.

Enabling the rapid attacker to roam freely in the attacking third is bound to create chances for the team especially against stubborn defences. Sanchez has the ability to drag players out of their position with his close control while making sure he does not get dispossessed.

This versatile nature of the Chilean will also help United a lot in a counter-attacking setup with his pace still one of the biggest attributes of his game. Mourinho will surely enjoy the flexibility he will have by deploying Sanchez in any of the roles in the attacking third.