Alexis Sanchez's former under-20 coach says he will face "serious problems" at Arsenal after being denied a move to Manchester City -- and added the player got "fat" on his holiday.
Jose Sulantay, who coached Chile's U20 team at the 2007 World Cup in Canada, told La Cuarta that the uncertainty surrounding Sanchez's future had clearly affected his performance in the national team's 3-0 loss to Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
That game was played hours after the transfer window shut in Europe, with Arsenal having pulled the plug on a deal to sell Sanchez to Man City after the Gunners failed in a bid to buy Thomas Lemar from Monaco.
"Alexis was more worried about his situation at Arsenal and now that he wasn't transferred, he will have serious problems," Sulantay was quoted as saying. "He brushed off his teammates by saying that he wanted to go to a club that won things and now he has to return there.
"If he doesn't perform, the English press will break him just as they did with Claudio Bravo and the teammates can turn their backs on him."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said he is confident that Sanchez will be "100 percent" committed when he returns from the international break -- even though he looked far from his best in the 4-0 loss to Liverpool.
Sanchez was set to first play for Chile at Bolivia on Tuesday after reportedly overcoming an ankle problem. But even if his mindset is back to normal, Sulantay questioned whether Sanchez was fully match fit after missing the start of the season with an abdominal injury.
"I see Alexis overweight, I see him fat," Sulantay said. "And a player of his level cannot lose his physical condition. But in any case, he was coming from his holidays, being with his girlfriend and having a normal life."