Paul Scholes urges Jose Mourinho to drop key attacker

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Paul Scholes believes manager Jose Mourinho should seriously considering dropping Alexis Sanchez to the bench after his lacklustre performance against Sevilla in the Champions League.

The Chile international joined the Red Devils from Arsenal in a swap agreement involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the winter transfer window.

Sanchez, 29, was expected to lift the mood around the club after he made the surprise switch from the Emirates to Old Trafford in January. However, he has since struggled to find the cutting edge to his play, and has managed just one goal and two assists in the 10 games, he has featured.

Moreover, the Chilean has been guilty of losing the possession on multiple occasions during this period, and this has witnessed a section of the club's faithful criticising the attacker on social media.

Speaking after United's Champions League exit against Sevilla, Scholes urged Mourinho to reconsider Sanchez's starting position, given the likes of Marcus Rashford have performed better on the left side of the attack.

"[Marcus] Rashford was frightening on that left side on Saturday, but he moved him to bring Sanchez into what he thinks is his best position," he told BT Sport. "[Sanchez] gave the ball away so often and his manager has to see that in the 10 games he has played, he has not been good. He needs to choose his best front three and be brave enough to leave one out. At the moment, Sanchez is the one to leave out."

Anthony Martial had been deemed fit for the encounter after recovering from a thigh injury, but Mourinho only started him on the bench with Sanchez being preferred, not for the first time since January.