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Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez sends message to fans that he’s up for the fight – but he faces an uphill battle to win back team-mates

The striker has returned to London after playing for Chile in World Cup Qualifying - where they lost 1-0 to Bolivia

ALEXIS SANCHEZ has handed Arsenal fans a huge boost with his latest Instagram post

The Gunners' star player came close to leaving the club on transfer deadline day, with fed up team-mates wanting him OUT of the Emirates door last week.

 Alexis Sanchez has taken to Instagram to declare himself ready to focus on Arsenal after missing out on a deadline day move to Man City
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Alexis Sanchez has taken to Instagram to declare himself ready to focus on Arsenal after missing out on a deadline day move to Man CityCredit: Instagram
 Alexis Sanchez also uploaded a photo of when he celebrated with the Arsenal fans last season after winning the FA Cup
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Alexis Sanchez also uploaded a photo of when he celebrated with the Arsenal fans last season after winning the FA CupCredit: Getty - Contributor

Sanchez faces a huge battle to win back the trust of the the Arsenal dressing room.

They fear his return will sap morale, with the Chilean having alienated himself from the rest of the squad after demanding to leave.

Sanchez barely lifted a leg during Arsenal’s 4-0 defeat against Liverpool before the international break.

His team-mates, disenchanted with the atmosphere at the club during the transfer window, wanted Sanchez to ­follow fellow contract rebel Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out the door.

But a £55million deadline-day move to Manchester City was canned by boss Arsene Wenger when the Gunners failed to land Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.

Sulky Sanch, 28, was told he must see out the final year of his Gunners contract, though City may return with a cut-price £20m bid in January.

 Alexis Sanchez endured a miserable time on international duty with Chile as they lost both qualifying games
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Alexis Sanchez endured a miserable time on international duty with Chile as they lost both qualifying gamesCredit: Reuters
 Arsenal fans will now be desperate to see a fully-committed Alexis Sanchez in the red and white this season
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Arsenal fans will now be desperate to see a fully-committed Alexis Sanchez in the red and white this seasonCredit: PA:Press Association

The 28-year-old is in the final year of his contract and is believed to be angling for a move away from the Emirates - notably for Champions League football.

Sanchez played for Chile last night as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Bolivia. He was visibly upset as the final whistle sounded, slumping to the ground in despair.

But he arrived back in London on Wednesday and shared two photos of him representing Arsenal - captioning them "Back home" before adding the word "focus".

The first photo is of Sanchez in his Arsenal shirt pointing his fingers upwards, while the second is of Sanchez celebrating with the Arsenal fans after helping his team to FA Cup glory last season.

It will bring a renewed hope to Gunners fans that their star player is prepared to knuckle down and bring them out of the rut they find themselves in.

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He saw his hopes of playing at next year’s World Cup finals take a hit as Chile lost in Bolivia on Tuesday.

The player reacted by posting a bizarre rant on Instagram on Tuesday.

He wrote: “You get tired of being criticised with reason and without reason.

“You get tired of wanting to be defeated, you get tired of saying to yourself ‘I’ll get up again’ after crying after a defeat.

“And you get tired of telling the world and people who are with you, that everything is going well.

“And the worst, that no one ever realises how that makes you feel.

“I have the No 7 of Chile on my back and it is a huge responsibility, that’s why I’m sorry that journalists and bad people criticise without knowing.”



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