Alexis Sanchez debut overshadowed by claims of ‘missed doping test’

Alexis Sanchez is set to make his debut for Manchester United this evening in their FA Cup fourth round tie against Yeovil Town - but the occasion threatens to be overshadowed by claims that the Chilean striker “may have fallen foul of anti-doping rules”.

According to a report in The Times, the alleged incident occurred earlier this week, when both Arsenal and Sanchez failed to inform drug testers of the player’s whereabouts as the finishing touches were put to his move to Old Trafford.

Football Association regulations stipulate that if a player does not turn up to training, both the club and the player in question have to inform the governing body. According to reports in the Spanish press, Sanchez missed a test at Arsenal’s training ground on Monday because he was in Manchester for a medical ahead of his transfer.

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The Times says that the crucial issue for the FA will be “whether there was a failure to notify the authorities of his movements”. Should this prove to be the case, the FA is likely to begin an investigation into whether the club and/or the player should be subject to disciplinary action.

Both Arsenal and Sanchez declined to comment.

The newspaper emphasised that there is no suggestion Sanchez “sought to evade a test or was even aware of the failure to keep drug testers informed”.

Nonetheless, the resulting media reports are an unwanted distraction ahead of United’s trip to Yeovil.

Sanchez is expected to start on the bench in the game against against the League Two side, with Jose Mourinho preferring to keep faith with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial in light of their recent sharp form.

During Thursday’s pre-match press conference, the United manager spoke of his “pride” in the duo’s progress.

“We have five attacking players of quality: [Juan] Mata, [Marcus] Rashford, [Romelu] Lukaku, Martial, Alexis, and it’s fantastic for me and for the team,” Mourinho said. “If the players one day are on the bench and they don’t like it, I’m happy with that… This is life in big clubs, in big clubs you have big players, you have big competition.”

On the eve of the biggest match of his managerial career, Yeovil boss Darren Way warned the United boss not to underestimate his side.

“The guy’s a winner, he wins trophies year after year,” said Way. “Mourinho’s teams are strong and aggressive, so we have to match that, but as long as we have that concentration, I expect us to put in a really good performance… We are young, some of my teammates are just 19, but we are good enough to beat Manchester United.”

This weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round fixtures

Tonight’s fixtures

• Sheffield Wednesday vs. Reading (7.45pm)
• Yeovil Town vs. Manchester United (7.55pm, live on BBC One)

Tomorrow’s fixtures (3pm unless stated)

• Peterborough United vs. Leicester City (12.30pm, live on BT Sport)
• Huddersfield Town vs. Birmingham City
• Hull City vs. Nottingham Forest
• Middlesbrough vs. Brighton and Hove Albion
• Millwall vs. Rochdale
• Milton Keynes Dons vs. Coventry City
• Notts County vs. Swansea City
• Sheffield United vs. Preston North End
• Southampton vs. Watford
• Wigan Athletic vs. West Ham United
• Newport County vs. Tottenham Hotspur (5.30pm, live on BT Sport)
• Liverpool vs. West Bromwich Albion (7.45pm, live on BT Sport)

Sunday’s fixtures

• Chelsea vs. Newcastle United (1.30pm, live on BT Sport)
• Cardiff City vs. Manchester City (4pm, live on BBC One)