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Arsenal star Sanchez ‘fitter without rest’ – Arsene Wenger plays down burnout fears

Arsenal star Sanchez ‘fitter without rest’ – Arsene Wenger plays down burnout fears

Arsene Wenger has played down burnout fears over Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, insisting a "break makes him tired".

Sanchez was magnificent as the Gunners kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage as his brace led Arsenal to a brilliant 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

The Chile international played the full 90 minutes at the Emirates Stadium, which contradicts reports earlier this month that the club were prepared to give him a mid-season break to prevent fatigue.

With Sanchez crucial to the Gunners’ Premier League hopes this term, there are fears over his long-term fitness after he went straight back into pre-season action with his club immediately after helping his nation secure the Copa America title in the summer.

Wenger, however, has attempted to calm those fears.

The Gunners led 3-0 with 21 minutes remaining against Dinamo, and when asked why Sanchez was not substituted, Wenger said: "Because a break makes him tired.

"I would have loved to have done it in this game, but when you're 3-0 ahead you're not in a position where you need him to work back.

"We put him central up front where he could spare some energy. It's not like the flank where he has to go up and down. I tried to compromise a little bit, rest him a little bit.

"Olivier Giroud had a little problem on his ankle over the weekend so I decided to give him a little breather.

"I took Hector Bellerin off because he had a groin problem just before. Then of course I couldn't take Sanchez off. We now have five days to recover anyway.

"I don't know how important Alexis is percentage-wise, he's just a very important player."

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