It was a transfer that sparked excitement and optimism at Old Trafford. Manchester United had secured the signing of Alexis Sanchez, a prolific goal-scorer with a reputation for consistently delivering.
The Chilean had been attracting attention from top clubs across Europe, and United had finally got their man in January 2018.
Sanchez's arrival was touted as a masterstroke, with many believing he would be the missing piece in United's quest for success. But it wasn't meant to be. Two-and-a-half years later, Sanchez departed Old Trafford on a free transfer, leaving behind a legacy of disappointment and underachievement.
Sanchez's time at United was marked by inconsistency and lack of impact. He scored just five goals in 45 appearances, with only three of those coming in his first season.
He struggled to nail down a starting berth under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and his biggest highlight was scoring United's equalizer in the 2018 FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
But behind the scenes, Sanchez was struggling to adapt to the dressing room dynamics. In an interview last year, he revealed that he begged his agent to try and secure a return to Arsenal just days after his first training session at Carrington.
He claimed that he had walked into a fractured and broken dressing room that wasn't united, and that his decision to join United had been based on a lack of information about what was happening inside the club.
Sanchez's struggles were further exacerbated when he was left out of United's matchday squad for the visit of West Ham United in 2018. The decision by Mourinho had a major impact on the winger, who confessed to feeling sad and frustrated by being dropped from the team.