Alexis Sanchez Is Rediscovering Himself During The 2019 Copa America

Alexis Sanchez arrived to the 2019 Copa America with little to no expectations. The Manchester United forward was coming off his worst season in Europe by most statistical measures, and he spent the final stretch of the 2018-19 campaign dealing with injuries and struggling for playing time at Old Trafford.

However, Sanchez has put those concerns to rest with an impressive display for Chile during the 2019 Copa America. Even though Alexis has only played two matches, he’s been absolutely dominant. He has been a key cog on a Chilean squad that already clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with one game to spare.

Sanchez registered one goal and one assist during Chile’s drubbing 4-0 win over Japan, and added the game-winning goal in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ecuador. He scored the latter while dealing with an ankle sprain, but he looked lively, energetic and active. Probably at his best since he completed his switch to Old Trafford back in January 2018.

Is Sanchez back for good, or is this just a good run of form?

But is it safe to say he’s back? Playing two games at a high level it’s a small sample size, and the injury couldn’t have come at a worst time for him. He’s not expected to start against Uruguay in the group stage finale, but Chile’s idea is to recover him at full for the quarterfinal match, either against Colombia or Peru, next week.

But let’s get back to Sanchez and his good run of from with Chile. The former Barcelona star has found the back of the net in his last four international appearances. Plus, he sits at the top of Chile’s all-time goalscoring list with 43 goals in 126 caps.

We must remember Sanchez arrived at the 2019 Copa America having scored just once in 2019 for Manchester United. He also netted just once in 20 appearances during the entire 2018-19 Premier League campaign. This confidence boost should do wonders for him looking towards the upcoming season, even though his future remains unclear.

Regardless of whether Manchester United decides to sell him or not, Alexis is clearly on the right path once again. A path he had lost for much of the 2018-19 season, and he found it wearing the Roja shirt representing his country. Something he’s excelled at ever since he debuted with his country back in 2006 when he was only 18 years old.