Manchester United Transfer News: David Beckham Comments on Alexis Sanchez Deal

Former Manchester United icon David Beckham has admitted he was shocked Alexis Sanchez left Arsenal for Old Trafford to claim the No. 7 shirt he once wore for the Red Devils.

The retired superstar also stated his belief United manager Jose Mourinho is the right man to lead the club as they attempt to regain past glories in the Premier League and Europe.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the ex-England captain declared his delight at the Chile international's arrival.

Eric Espada/Getty Images

Beckham said:

"I still can't believe it's happened, to be honest.

"When he's been part of a club as big as Arsenal and then he moves a few hours away up north to the biggest club, it's astonishing to see.

"We all wish him luck. I'm a Manchester United fan so I am excited about having someone of his talent wearing a Manchester United shirt - so it's exciting times for us."

Beckham added he believes Mourinho is the "right person" to coach United in their pursuit of silverware and future success. 

Sanchez made his full debut for United at Yeovil Town in the FA Cup, providing two assists as he quickly displayed the level of his talent.

Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Per Sky Sports, Mourinho confirmed the player is in line to make his Premier League bow for United at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, and he's delighted with the quality of the pool of players he now has to choose from after the club's January transfer window activity.

"Everything is good," Mourinho said. "The real headache is when you don't have the good players so when you have so many injuries, you are in trouble. When almost everybody is available and the quality is high, these are the good problems."

The Red Devils have shown their faith and expectations in their new signing by giving him the shirt number with the most weight at the Theatre of Dreams.

United paid tribute to the legend of the No. 7 jersey:

The serious injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the end of last season negated United's desire to have a superstar in their attack, and Mourinho has coped by blooding Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial next to big-money striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Special One automatically has a more balanced selection with Sanchez at his disposal, and the former Gunner will add tactical value in the channel either side of Lukaku's central berth.

If the Red Devils had a player of the Chilean's talent at the start of the campaign, the gap to league leaders Manchester City could have been substantially less.

However, United still have a good chance of progressing deep into the UEFA Champions League while chipping away at the top of the English game for a second-place finish to the season.