José Mourinho praised Alexis Sánchez’s “tough guy” attitude as the Chilean weathered some hefty tackles to provide two assists on debut as Manchester United eased beyond Yeovil and into the FA Cup fifth round.
Sánchez, English football’s highest paid player and already a two-time FA Cup winner, set up the visitors’ first two goals before departing 18 minutes from time with the Premier League club having punctured Yeovil’s early optimism. The former Arsenal forward had trained only twice with his new team-mates in the build-up to this fixture but his eye-catching contribution did not surprise his new manager.
“I’m very happy [with Sánchez’s performance] but after over three years in the Premier League, playing every week, everyone knows what Alexis is about,” said Mourinho, who saw the player crunched from behind by the Yeovil defender Nathan Smith, on the half-hour. “You don’t think about adaptation or something like that in relation to English football, so it was no surprise for us. A fantastic player. He showed that and he is an amazing addition for us.
“I was impressed with his attitude. I did my job well and told the players they should be ready for [physical challenges] and never to react because, sometimes, the top players lose their head and balance in these matches, and then they can be the ones who are punished by the referee. I understand the decision not to show the red card because this is a special day, and 10 against 11 in that moment of the game is game over. So I understand Paul Tierney’s decision. We love the FA Cup and to come to these stadiums but the players need protection. Alexis is a tough guy and he knew what to expect. I’m happy with everything he did.
“[Sánchez] needed to play. He didn’t play for Arsenal in the last two or three matches, and training is not good when you have half of your body in the Emirates Stadium and the other half in Manchester. So he needed to play. But people start to understand his game better already and he can start to understand better the way his fellow players do.”
