Alexis Sanchez claims an unhealthy atmosphere was created at Manchester United during the final stages of Jose Mourinho‘s reign at the club, with players unsure where they stood in the manager’s plans.

Mourinho brought the Chilean to United last January, in a swap deal with Arsenal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but Sanchez has yet to hit the heights he conquered at the north London club.

Part of that was down to the former United manager’s defensive nature stifling Sanchez’s best qualities, though even after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken over, the player has struggled to rediscover his best form.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC alongside team-mate Ander Herrera, the 30-year-old lifted the lid on the mood in the United camp under Mourinho.

“Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world, in the way that he coaches, how he studies videos, the way he goes about things,” Sanchez said.

“But within the group there was that feeling that you were in the team, then out. Sometimes I didn’t play, then I did, then I didn’t and as a player you lose confidence.

“I’ve played football since I was five and if I have the ball taken away from me, it’s as if I lose my joy.”