Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed in Thursday’s press conference that Alexis Sanchez would feature against former club Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Chilean, who switched to Old Trafford a year ago, returned from over a month out to feature against Newcastle United and Reading, only to pick up another injury against the latter.
He returned to the bench for Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend but was not used by Solskjaer.
Speaking on Thursday morning, the Norwegian confirmed Sanchez would get his chance to impress under the lights at the Emirates.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells MUTV that Alexis Sanchez will play tomorrow. Will be his first game back at @Arsenal. OGS knows what to expect: "I think he will love it if the crowd turn against him. As a player, pride kicks in and you think 'I will show all of you'."
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 24, 2019
So far we have had merely flash-points of brilliance from Sanchez interspersing a continent of dysfunction.
When things have clicked, it has come in games like these: big occasions, big opponents, when his team truly needs it. Manchester City away and the FA Cup semi-final last season are examples.
It will be hard for him to reach that level of performance at Arsenal having struggled frequently with injuries this season, but that brilliance is still there, somewhere.
All it may take for Sanchez is that one moment, one chance to score, to leave his old club with a bloody nose, and hopefully kick-start a rennaisance at Old Trafford.