Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has been named in Chile’s lineup for their World Cup qualifier with Uruguay, against the wishes of his club manager Arsene Wenger.
The 27-year-old had missed Chile’s trip to Colombia with a thigh muscle injury but took part in training over the past few days and was deemed fit enough to feature in a match that Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side can ill afford to lose in the tightly contested South American qualifying campaign.
Chile sit fifth in the rankings, only good enough for a playoff spot, with Argentina breathing down their necks but head coach Pizzi insisted he was not taking a risk starting Sanchez.
“It's not that [Sanchez] hasn't trained, he has trained every day, even when we were in Colombia he did a different kind of work,” Pizzi said on Monday. “Yesterday he took part in full training.”
With Arsenal in action on Saturday lunch-time at Manchester United Wenger had made clear his fears over Chile playing Sanchez, who has a tendency to play through the pain barrier such is his eagerness to get on the football pitch.
Wenger warned that it could be a “suicidal decision” to start Sanchez, who he fears could face “two or three months” on the sidelines if he aggravates his injury, and will doubtless be watching with plenty of concern into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
