Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has revealed that Sanchez was close to joining City, before United swooped him.

Guardiola was close to signing the Chile international, only for a move to be blocked by Arsenal.

United swooped in for Sanchez after City hesitated at the wage demands after a deal was agreed.

“I want to make it clear it was not me,” Mourinho told MUTV of the Sanchez transfer. “Totally the credit is for the owners and the board. They did it – a player like Alexis Sanchez.

“It looks like it is difficult for people to say, ‘Well done, you did it in a fantastic way’. He was with one-and-a-half feet in another club.

“It looks like it is hard to give credit when we win matches there is always an ‘If’. When a player does fantastically well there is always a negative. But the reality is without Manchester United the industry would be in trouble, this is part of being at such a big club.”

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