Manchester United Transfer News: Board 'Regrets' January Alexis Sanchez Move

Members of the Manchester United board regret bringing Alexis Sanchez to the club in January rather than waiting for the summer, following the Chilean's poor start to life at Old Trafford.

That's according to Spanish daily El Pais (h/t Metro), who report the board members "privately confessed" regret about the deal during a meeting with rival Premier League executives. The club doesn't rue signing the former Arsenal man―instead, they'd have preferred to sign him on a free transfer in the summer.

Sanchez's contract was set to expire, so with a little more patience, the Red Devils could have landed him for free. By signing him in January, it cost the club Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was a major disappointment in Manchester but has enjoyed a solid start with the Gunners, via Goal:

Sanchez hasn't found such success yet. The 29-year-old registered an assist on his debut against Yeovil Town in the FA Cup fourth round, but since then, he has scored just once and has generally looked out of place.

United have lost momentum since he arrived as well, losing two of their last four Premier League contests and slumping to a scoreless draw against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League.

In that match, Sanchez had one of his worst showings yet, per WhoScored.com:

Per the report, a lack of form isn't the only issue the board members complained about. The club made Sanchez the best-paid player in the Premier League and smashed their wage structure in the process―that in turn could have serious consequences in the dressing room.

This wouldn't be an issue if the speedy winger lives up to the expectations, but that hasn't been the case so far.

The decision to sign Sanchez in January wasn't taken lightly, and with rivals Manchester City lurking, it's easy to see why the Red Devils jumped at the deal. Mkhitaryan didn't appear to have much of a future at Old Trafford, and by making the move in January, United avoided a head-on collision with City in the summer.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

From a competitive standpoint, United likely knew Sanchez would not be enough to bridge the gap to City in the Premier League, but as he wasn't cup-tied in the Champions League, he could have been brought in to make the difference in that competition.

It's not too late for that to happen. Some struggles perhaps should have been expected after Sanchez appeared to lose focus at times in the first half of the season, with his mind seemingly away from Arsenal and on a transfer. He wasn't in the best of form then, and it was always going to take time for him to return to his best with United.

His performances will have to improve soon, though, or risk fans' opinions turning on him even more.