Alexis Sanchez allegedly returned to Arsenal after the international break overweight, but his manager Arsene Wenger rubbished those allegations despite opting not start the Chilean winger in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Chilean did come on in the second-half as Arsenal clinched their second win of the season to relieve some pressure on their manager but speculation was rife that the Gunners’ star winger had come back unfit.
“He is not fat. His fat percentage is under ten, so that’s not fat, but you know how it is when you don’t win, people find every problem for you,” Wenger was quoted as saying by the club website.
Sanchez, who had been pushing for a move to Manchester City in the summer but saw their late bid collapse for several reasons, played two World Cup qualifiers for Chile and Wenger insisted that playing a third game in a week might have been too much for the 28-year-old.
“He was not completely physically ready to start three games in a week and certainly for Chile he was not completely ready as well,” Wenger explained.
After four games played, Arsenal are 11th in the league table with six points and they next play Bundesliga side FC Koln in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday before making the short trip to Chelsea for a crunch Premier League tie on Sunday.