Alexis Sanchez wants to stay at Manchester United, insists Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Alexis Sanchez wants to remain at Manchester United, despite reports that he is keen to leave Old Trafford this month, insists Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Sanchez has failed to impress at United since arriving from Arsenal in January 2018, scoring just five goals in 45 games for the club.

He was not included in United’s squad for the 4-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League last week, and reports claimed the 30-year-old wants to leave England this month, with many European transfer windows open until early September.

But Solskjaer dismissed those suggestions, saying: “Alexis is such a professional. He comes in working every single day, really hard. He wants to be part of this.

“These stories that he’s been put in the reserves – of course he hasn’t. He’s part of our squad and he’s a very good player. He’s a few weeks behind the rest but he’s very close to being part of it.

“We don’t have the biggest forward line so Alexis might end up playing a lot more games than you expect. We expect him to come good at this club. He’s quality.”

One player who did start in the thrashing of Chelsea was Harry Maguire, who won the man-of-the-match award on his debut after sealing his record-breaking £80m move from Leicester earlier that week.

The 26-year-old is likely to start United’s game away to Wolves on Monday, live on Sky Sports, and Solskjaer is delighted with the impact his new signing has already made.

“He’s very level-headed. He’s just as composed off the pitch as he is on the pitch,” said Solskjaer. “He’s experienced, he’s a big presence around the pitch.

“He’s a personality that you like to have around. To have a cool head at the back is important. Defenders that are level-headed are great to have for a manager and a team.

“He’s only been here for a little bit more than a week and he’s been very good to have around.”

(c) Sky Sports 2019: Alexis Sanchez wants to stay at Manchester United, insists Ole Gunnar Solskjaer