The Chilean had gone eight games for club and country without scoring and was playing his second match in five days after returning from international duty.
Wenger added: “He’s not been injured. We come back to that problem and the more you are injured, the more there is a chance to be injured again.”
It was thought Sanchez would sit out Chile’s World Cup qualifier in Uruguay a week last Tuesday, having already played in their home game against Colombia five days earlier.
He ended up playing the full 90 minutes and returned to the UK for Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at West Brom on Saturday.
“His resistance is remarkable,” Wenger said. “What is also remarkable is that he goes to South America, comes back Thursday night and on Saturday can play without a problem even if he’s jet lagged.
“He would have been a perfect tennis player.”
Alexis Sanchez - Spotlight on
Discussing Sanchez’s background growing up in Chile, Wenger concluded: “These are not players who have the traditional academic education that we give now to the players at 15 or 16, who have a physio every day.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
