Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez is central to his Arsenal plans after striker played in Carabao Cup

Arsene Wenger says there is "no hierarchy" among Arsenal’s forwards – not even for Alexis Sanchez.

Wenger has denied he picked Sanchez for the Carabao Cup tie against Doncaster to make a point after the collapse of a proposed move to Manchester City in the final hours of the transfer window.

But the Arsenal boss has made it clear he sees the Chile star as just one of a number of attacking options who can expect to share the load this season.

Wenger conducted his weekly press conference the morning after the Doncaster game and was asked whether Sanchez remains central to his plans after Alex Iwobi was preferred for Sunday’s huge game at Chelsea.

The Arsenal boss said: "All the players are. He’s not more than any other.

"I picked a team at Chelsea to be strong on the counter-attack and fight very hard. Sanchez could have played if he was 100 per cent fit, but for me there’s no real hierarchy.

"I have six or seven strikers, but if I go with three strikers [at the weekend], the three who have not played will play in midweek, whatever the competition."

Sanchez is yet to complete 90 minutes in the Premier League but played the full match against Cologne in the Europa League and again saw the final whistle against League One Rovers on Wednesday night.

Asked whether Sanchez’s low-key start to the season was linked to his near-move to City and his contract position Wenger said: "Not at all. That’s going into very quick conclusions.

"Alexis Sanchez has been out injured and I thought he was still a bit short on Sunday physically I played him last night to give him competition."

Sanchez began pre-season after most of his team-mates after helping Chile reach the final of the Confederations Cup, and a side strain then kept him out of Arsenal’s first two games.

Wenger said there is "no disguised attitude on my side" towards Sanchez, adding: "I just try to get him back to full fitness, and for me the Europa League and League cup are important as well.

"I gave him a long holiday, this year he had a real rest. He came back not really fit and then he got injured. The injury plus rest time was a bit long, but last night you could see he’s coming back sharp now."

Jack Wilshere, like Sanchez in the final year of his contract, also completed the Doncaster game and Wenger repeated his challenge for the England midfielder to stay fit for the season.

Wilshere remains "an Arsenal man", according to his manager, who said: "We haven’t spoken about [a new deal] – we have to see how that evolves and what kind of influence he can have on the squad in the whole season."

Wenger confirmed Calum Chambers (hip) and Danny Welbeck (groin) are out until after the international break, but Mesut Ozil will train with the squad over the weekend ahead of the Monday Night Football game against West Brom.

(c) Sky News 2017: Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez is central to his Arsenal plans after striker played in Carabao Cup