Jose Mourinho has insisted Alexis Sanchez is the right man for Manchester united despite his difficult start to life at Old Trafford.

The Chilean has struggled to find his stride at United since joining from Arsenal in late January, scoring just three times in 14 appearances, and has come under heavy criticism for his often ‘wasteful’ performances thus far in red.

Even the man himself has admitted it’s been tough making the adjustments to life with the Europa League holders.

“In truth it’s been very hard for me, coming to a big club, it changed everything,” said Sanchez earlier this month after United’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham in the FA Cup, before adding: “It’s been difficult, I think next year we have to go for it. It was a tough change for me.”

Despite Sanchez’s struggles however, Mourinho remains very much at his the Chile international’s side, and expects him to flourish next season once he has had a chance to fully settle over the summer.

“I keep saying, I don’t like the January market, but [it] was now or never, so it was now and obviously if we can have Alexis until the end of the season, better for us,” said Mourinho.

“We need seven points and we have a final to play… can he help us the way he’s helping us lately? I hope so and I feel so, but what I am sure of is that next season, after pre-season, after being comfortable and adapted, he’s going to be great for us.

“He was playing in our competition for years. We all know how good he was, that’s why he was chased by many teams. I believe that’s why we fought to have him here.”