Best is yet to come from Sanchez, says Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez has yet to reach his full potential despite a sparkling start to his Arsenal career.

Sanchez has been the star of Arsenal’s season since his £35 million move from Barcelona in July, scoring seven goals in his first nine Premier League appearances, but Wenger feels he can still take his game to another level.

Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez has only shown glimpses of the elite player he can still be © Getty Images

“I believe we are in a job where you can always improve,” Wenger said. “He’s [Sanchez] keen and every day he wants to go out and practice. He’s unbelievably keen to develop, work and practice. He just loves football.

“I don’t judge [foreign players] for at least six months. Alexis struggled at the start to deal with the commitment, but now he is more confident because he scores goals and he speaks the language much better.

“Let’s not forget that he has been in Europe before, having come from South America. He’s been at Udinese and Barcelona where you play under pressure every week. That helps get him to the level you need to cope with England.”

Wenger also thinks Sanchez’s ability to score important goals already proves he can play a key role in Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns.

“He’s already had a lot of decisive goals and he doesn’t score when it’s 4-0, he scores when it’s 0-0,” added Wenger. “He finds the resources to get you a goal when it’s 0-0, that’s what is important.

“It’s always very interesting when you look at the number of goals people score, how many times do they score at 0-0? They’re the guys who can really make the difference.”

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