Inter Milan Say Alexis Sanchez Could Make Early Return from Ankle Injury

Inter Milan have offered a positive update on Alexis Sanchez's recovery from ankle surgery and are optimistic he could return to action ahead of schedule.

The club's head of medical services, Piero Volpi, told La Cuarta (h/t Goal's Dom Farrell) that the Chile international could be back playing before the middle of January 2019.

"It is a delicate injury, but the recovery is going very well, the deadlines are being met. Mid-January [is the return date] but we'll see. Alexis could even come back a little earlier if all goes well. He has not yet done work with the ball, but we hope that in the next few days we will have news about it. Everything is going well."

Sanchez went under the knife in October after suffering a dislocated left ankle and tendon damage while playing for Chile in a friendly against Colombia. Initial reports in Italy (h/t FourFourTwo) suggested he could be out of action for 12 weeks.

The injury was a blow to both club and player. Sanchez only arrived at Inter in August on loan from Manchester United aiming to revive his career after a dismal spell at Old Trafford. He scored just five goals in 45 appearances for the Red Devils.

Manager Antonio Conte said he wanted to help Sanchez "find the form and the brilliance he has lost a little," during his time at the San Siro, per Perform (h/t AS).

Sanchez struggled for minutes in the early weeks of the season, with Conte explaining he was not ready to start for his side:

His first start came in Inter's 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the end of September. The Chilean scored his first goal for the club but was later sent off for diving in an eventful outing:

Sanchez made just four appearances for Inter before his injury but will hope he can return and make an impact at the club in the second half of the season.

Inter are paying £175,000 of the 30-year-old's £390,000 weekly wages, but the loan deal does not include an option to buy, according to the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano and Marcus Christenson.

United will also be keen to see Sanchez return to fitness. He remains one of their top earners and they are keen to offload the forward in the summer, according to The Athletic (h/t the Mirror's Darren Wells).