Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that club officials will soon have a conversation about whether loaned-out forward Alexis Sánchez has a future at the club, as the Manchester United manager plans to take his side from renovation project to contenders next season.
The Chilean was shipped out to Inter this season to try and rebuild his reputation after an abysmal spell at Old Trafford. However, Sanchez has managed just nine Serie A appearances before football was postponed, with injuries restricting him to just two starts and one goal.
In the current financial climate, finding a team willing to pay Sánchez's huge wages next season seems highly unlikely, leaving United with a decision to make about the player's future.
Solskjaer, who has previously discussed his happiness to have parted ways with some 'bad apples' last summer, admitted that United are always looking for ways to improve the squad, but a decision will have to made over whether welcoming Sánchez back into the fold would actually be beneficial.
The former striker then appeared to compare Sanchez to a sofa, in an analogy about United's squad management.
“Of course there’s a place for good players and good people in this environment," Solskjaer said (via The Mirror). “Let’s see where we get to after the season, because we do feel this squad is exciting. We do feel we’re on the way to something.
“Sometimes when you decorate your living room it might be a nice chair or nice sofa but it maybe doesn’t go with the rest of it.
“For us to think about major honours, our focus is about finishing the league this season. We have to decide when this season has finished, what the next one will look like.”
Solskjaer added that he believes his squad are moving in the right direction, but warned the players that it's time to start winning, rather than preparing for the future.
He continued: “Yes, we’ve been building a young, exciting, positive team at this club because that’s what our fans want to see” he said. “As coaches we want to see that too. The staff here have the Man United DNA in us as well as the players – and this team is looking more and more like a United team.
“Now, though, it’s the time to start getting results. We can talk about potential all day long – we need to get results as well.
"But I feel very encouraged by the signs of the team and now when you have everyone more or less fit coming to work and to training everyday you can see the potential of this group.
“Of course, good players playing together is important but I’m not going to jump on any bandwagon. We need to get started and up to speed straight away and start getting the team performances up to scratch quickly.”
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Source : 90min