Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reported to have benched Alexis Sanchez against Liverpool on Saturday following a series of bust-ups in training with the Chilean.
The Gunners head coach was the subject of immense criticism from the club’s faithful after Alexis Sanchez was named as part of the substitutes in the all-important clash at Anfield.
Liverpool took a two-nil lead via goals from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the first half, and though Sanchez was introduced in the second period to provide an assist to Danny Welbeck’s goal, the Gunners eventually lost to the Reds by a 3-1 scoreline with Georginio Wijnaldum finding the net in injury time.
During the build-up to the game, Wenger had stated that he had picked Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi ahead of his top goal-scorer in order to switch to a direct style of play.
However, according to The Mirror, it appears that the 28-year-old did indeed have a fall-out with the manager, and this resulted in him being dropped to the bench over the weekend.
Sanchez is said to have previously had a heated argument with his fellow teammates following the 5-1 Champions League thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich, and his poor attitude and work rate in training since cost him a place in the starting lineup.
The attacker has notched 20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Arsenal this term, but there is still an uncertainty over his future after having stalled on an extension beyond the summer of 2018.
Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are currently leading the chase for the former Barcelona man while there is also the possibility that Sanchez could favour a reunion with former Chile boss Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla next season.
