Former Man Utd, Arsenal forward returns to old club having first signed 18 years ago

Alexis Sanchez has now returned to Udinese on a free

Alexis Sanchez has now returned to Udinese on a free

Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez has rejoined Udinese on a free transfer – 18 years after first signing for the Italian side.

The 35-year-old was released by Inter Milan when his contract expired in July and he is now back at Udinese, where he played between 2006-11, after signing after a two-year contract.

The Chile international scored 80 goals in 166 games for Arsenal after joining from Barcelona in 2014, but managed only five in 45 matches after moving to Old Trafford in a swap deal in 2018.

Sanchez left for Inter on loan in 2019 and made the move permanent the following year but, after his contract was terminated in 2022 he ended up at Marseille, before a stint back with the Italian side last season as he helped them win the title.

Before leaving Inter, the experienced forward bid the Nerazzurri farewell in an emotional message posted on his personal Instagram account.

“First of all I want to say thank you to all my Inter teammates, the coach and the club directors,” wrote Sanchez.

“We spent a great season together and managed to bring home the second star.

“Thank you to all the people who gave us a hand. This includes the medical staff and the kitchen staff. Thank you for the good energy and for always taking care of us.

“I would also like to thank all the fans who make me feel that in my second home here in Italy.”

For their part, Udinese, who finished sixth from bottom last season, are delighted to have Sanchez back on board.

“Here is where he became a champion, here is where he found the love of the region, here where the legend began: El Niño Maravilla is back among us, El Niño Maravilla is once again a Bianconeri player,” the club wrote in a statement on the club website.

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Alexis Sanchez Udinese

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