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Wenger discusses Sanchez and Mkhitaryan swap

Arsene Wenger will travel to Old Trafford for the last time as Arsenal manager later today after his announcement last week that he will step down as Gunners boss at the end of this season after 22 years in the job.

In the build to today’s fixture much of the attention has not just been on the Gunners coach, but also on Alexis Sanchez who left the Emirates for Old Trafford last January in a high profile swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the other direction.

Wenger has paid tribute to the impact the Chile international made during his time as a Gunner and also maintained that due to the 29-year-old’s contract situation the swap deal that took place suited both parties.

“It’s strange for me to see him in a different shirt because he had a strong bond with the club and of course he was here for a few years. He did extremely well for us.”

 

“At the time he (Sanchez) did not accept our contract offer and the best possible way where we could get something from his departure was to make an exchange for the player of the quality of Mkhitaryan,” 

“For him, it was a move to another big club. Overall, both parties had interest to do what happened.”

Sanchez is expected to start for Jose Mourinho’s side at Old Trafford today, although Mkhitaryan who is just returning from injury will more than likely be left on ice ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid next Thursday.

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