This season, Sanchez has been happy to accept a role as a backup player.
The 35-year-old former Arsenal, Manchester United, and Barcelona veteran re-joined Inter last summer.
That was just twelve months after Sanchez had first departed.
Sanchez left Inter via a termination of his contract by mutual consent in 2022. There was a sense that part of the reason for this departure was that he was not happy with his playing time.
There were some social media outbursts from Sanchez when he wasn’t starting regularly.
However, when he came back, Sanchez knew what the situation would be.
The Chilean was never going to be the first-choice starter ahead of Lautaro Martinez or Marcus Thuram.
But Inter were ready to bring Sanchez back, relying on his undeniable quality and veteran experience to add depth to the squad and a bit of a different quality in attack.
And Sanchez was ready to accept that role.
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By and large, this season Sanchez has not shown any discontent about his playing time.
The 35-year-old has not been without opportunities. He has played both from the start and as a substitute.
Particularly in the Champions League group stage, Sanchez had decisive moments like his substitute appearance against Real Sociedad and a vital goal against Red Bull Salzburg.
In the spring, Sanchez got a string of goals and assists whilst Marcus Thuram was out injured.
The veteran forward has been happy to help Inter to their twentieth Serie A title. There have not been any outbursts.
But yesterday, Sanchez did make his feelings clear.
The 35-year-old was already warming up as the hour-mark approached.
Even with the Serie A title already wrapped up, Sanchez was hoping to have the opportunity to play, to show what he can do in front of the San Siro crowd.
And once Hakan Calhanoglu scored Inter’s second goal, Sanchez couldn’t hold back.
The former Arsenal forward went over to Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi. He told his coach that he could hardly wait any longer to come onto the pitch and play.
And Inzaghi obliged – he gave Sanchez the chance to show his quality for the last half an hour or so of the match.
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