Steve McClaren slammed for suggesting Liverpool should try and land Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez to replace Philippe Coutinho
Sanchez is out of contract in the summer with no sign he will extend his stay at the Emirates and the former England boss reckons he is the man to replace Coutinho if the Brazilian joins Barcelona
STEVE McCLAREN has been slammed for suggesting Liverpool should make a tilt at signing Alexis Sanchez.
The Arsenal forward is out of contract at the end of the season and is free to sign a pre-contract with an overseas club or could be sold for a cut–price fee this month.
The Chilean contract rebel is odds-on to join Manchester City for a reunion with his former Barca boss Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
But the former England boss who recenlty left his coaching role at Maccabi Tel Aviv thinks the 28-year-old could stun the football world and make a sensational switch to Anfield replacing Coutinho if he moves to the Nou Camp.
McClaren told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult. I would look at Sanchez from Arsenal as there may be a bit of movement there.
“£160m is a lot of money. You can buy a lot for that.
“Liverpool won’t want to lose Coutinho’s quality.”
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When asked if he thought Sanchez could make the move to Anfield, McClaren said: “I could.
“Sanchez will be ambitious and he’s that type of player that could replace Coutinho.
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“But when you’ve got [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mane, [Roberto] Firmino, [Adam] Lallana, you might not need to replace him that much.
“Klopp will not want to lose Coutinho.
Fans took to social media to let the McClaren know what they thought of his recruitment advice for Jurgen Klopp.
David Hickman said on Twiter: "Alexis Sanchez isn't happening, forget it, he's off to Man City, the only person thinking about Sanchez to Liverpool is Steve McClaren."
BL Swagger added: "Sanchez to Liverpool is a big joke!!!"