Alexis Sanchez earns a zesty amount of money

Alexis Sanchez’s ludicrous wages have demonstrated why Manchester United are in such a bind if they were to try to get rid of the forward.

The Mirror carries a report that states that in addition to his £400,000-a-week deal, Sanchez is entitled to £75,000 for every appearance he makes. If he were to play three times a week, that would take him well above £600,000, not including any other bonuses he may be entitled to.

Sanchez has recently returned from an injury and was able to feature in the last few moments against Barcelona on Tuesday, and he could feature for United at the weekend when they take on Everton. He will have to show a vast improvement on his previous showings if he is to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he is worth keeping.

There would be little surprise from that point of view if Sanchez was binned in the summer in favour of younger players, with Jadon Sancho the favourite to take over on the right wing, but there are many obstacles in getting rid of Sanchez. While he might not have cost a transfer fee, the wages have seen David de Gea demand £350,000 a week for his potential new deal, and both Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba would be daft not to invoke his salary were they to enter any new contract talks.

United may have to negotiate a payment with the player to see him move on elsewhere, with Paris Saint-Germain a potential destination, or hope that somehow he is able to recuperate over the summer and re-apply himself. So far this year, Sanchez has found it difficult to run, trap the ball, shot at the goal, and also pass to anyone in a red shirt, which is not ideal for a player.