Manchester United hoped Alexis Sanchez would be able to reignite his career at Inter Milan - but that hasn’t been the case.

A deal was agreed for Sanchez to join Inter on a season-long loan in late August after it became apparent that he wasn’t in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s immediate plans.

Sanchez scored on his first start for Inter against Sampdoria before being sent off 20 minutes later. He’s failed to register another goal through a combination of injuries and poor form under Antonio Conte.

With a permanent move to Inter looking increasingly unlikely, the MEN understands United have put feelers out for potential Sanchez suitors ahead of the summer.

Keen to gain further insight into Sanchez’s stint in Serie A, the MEN caught up with Sempre Inter founder and reporter Nima Tavallaey Roodsari.

What has been your overall impression of Sanchez for Inter this season?

“He started off really well, better than I'd expected, given how poor his performances at United were ever since he joined the club from Arsenal, if we're completely honest.

“However, unfortunately, when he really got going he became injured whilst playing for Chile against Colombia and was sidelined, only coming back a few weeks before the pandemic broke out.

“So it's hard to give an overall impression that isn't disappointing given the situation, although it has to be said that there were some very encouraging sparks of good form before he was injured.”

What have Inter's fans made of him this season?

“He's not really made that much of an impression as explained above. Alexis has an excellent reputation in Serie A dating back to his days with Udinese and most fans and pundits alike agreed beforehand that loaning him was a bit of a gamble.

“Unfortunately for Inter and Alexis himself that gamble didn't pay off.”

What has Antonio Conte said about him?

“Conte has been very positive when speaking about Alexis, as he is a player that Conte has wanted for a long time.

“Not as badly as he has yearned for (Romelu) Lukaku but nonetheless Alexis has been a player that Conte's been tracking for several years as he suits his style of play given his dynamic traits on the pitch.”

Do you believe he's still capable of reaching the levels he showed at Barcelona and Arsenal?

“I definitely think his best is past him, I have no doubts about that. However, having said that, that doesn't mean that I don't think he has anything left to offer.

“On the contrary, I think Alexis has a lot left to offer a club like Manchester United even if that is as a back-up player to come off the bench.

"Especially when you have a big group of young and inexperienced players in your squad, then Alexis' experience becomes invaluable.”