Report: Alexis Sanchez Denied Entry to USA for Manchester United Summer Tour

Rory Marsden @@roomarsdenFeatured ColumnistJuly 16, 2018

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Alexis Sanchez of Manchester Untied during the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 19, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez has reportedly been denied access to the United States for the Red Devils' pre-season tour.

According to BBC Sport's Simon Stone, the Chilean is enduring visa issues after accepting a 16-month suspended prison sentence in Spain in February over tax fraud charges from when he was a player at Barcelona:

Simon Stone @sistoney67
Understand Alexis Sanchez's present absence from @ManUtd tour is due to visa issue. He accepted 16-month suspended jail sentence in Spain in February. Could be granted a waiver but process taking longer than anticipated.

Simon Stone @sistoney67
Re Sanchez. Actual wording is this "An applicant is inadmissible if convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude". As he is going for specific reason and not intending to stay and can afford good lawyers, if anyone is going to get in, it will be AS.

The Manchester club have already partially addressed the issue.

Per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, they said Sanchez, 29, would miss the start of the tour due to a "personal administrative issue" after he was not among the group that flew to Los Angeles on Sunday.

United are set to play five matches stateside before the end of the month, starting with a clash against Club America in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday.

As well as his 16-month suspended sentence, Sanchez was fined €590,065 (£524,575) in February over charges surrounding his image rights at Barcelona, per Adriana Garcia of ESPN.co.uk.

He has enjoyed a first summer free of a major international tournament since 2013 as Chile did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The former Arsenal man will likely have been eager to begin preparations for the 2018-19 Premier League campaign, which begins for United on August 10 with a home clash against Leicester City.

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But Sanchez and United will now need to resolve his visa issues before he can join up with the squad.