Alexis Sanchez admits he nearly pulled out of Chile squad because of struggles at Manchester United

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Alexis Sanchez has admitted that his performances since joining Manchester United in January have been below the standard he expects of himself.

The Chilean, who is away on international duty, has only managed one goal – scored after he missed the initial penalty – in 10 games since his move to Old Trafford from Arsenal.

His performances have drawn lots of criticism and he was dropped for the FA Cup win over Brighton and Hove Albion following negative comments by Jose Mourinho as unexpectedly United crashed out of the Champions League last week.

Sanchez has been able to escape the pressure cooker of Old Trafford in the cooler climates of Sweden as he prepares for a friendly double header against the Swedes and neighbours Denmark, but admitted he even hesitated to join up with Chile because of his poor form.

“As I am self-demanding, I expected something better,” Sanchez said of his start to life at United. “After my arrival at United, it was hard to change everything very quickly. I even hesitated to come here [to Sweden, with the national team].

“I had asked permission to miss these games, but then I thought better and spoke with Claudio [Bravo] and told him that we should all be united.

“The change of club was something that was very abrupt - it was the first time I’ve changed clubs in January - but many things have happened in my life that are difficult.”