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Debate: Should Alexis Sanchez join Manchester City or United?

Catherine Ivill / Getty Images Sport / Getty

There are reportedly two offers on Alexis Sanchez's table. One is blue, the other red.

Manchester United apparently bid £25 million for Sanchez on Thursday in an attempt to hijack Manchester City's deal, sparking a potential bidding war between the two rivals. The Chilean seems to have agreed to personal terms with the Citizens, but the Red Devils' proposal would see the product of Cobreloa earn more.

Which side should Sanchez choose? Here, theScore's Anthony Lopopolo and Carlo Campo debate whether the footballer should join Pep Guardiola's invincibles or Jose Mourinho's men.

Anthony Lopopolo: The fact remains that the best players want to be coached by Guardiola, and Sanchez is one of the finest in the Premier League. Guardiola not only offers the chance to win silverware, but the opportunity to learn and grow. That can't be said of Mourinho, who often looks at his players like soldiers carrying out a concerted plan. So I don't think United's bid will register on Sanchez's radar one bit.

Carlo Campo: Guardiola is no saint either. Just ask Joe Hart, who was moved on, or Sergio Aguero, who was disheartened about not playing in the Manchester derby. City's squad is crowded, particularly in attack, and United's bid should register on Sanchez's radar because of that. The Catalan manager's desire to sign the Chilean attacker reportedly increased when Gabriel Jesus suffered an injury to a medial collateral ligament. What happens when the Brazilian phenom is back on the pitch?

AL: Squad rotation is something all managers have to consider. That's true for Guardiola and Mourinho. With Aguero likely on the way out and David Silva getting on in age, I see an opening for Sanchez. Maybe Guardiola could use him as a No. 10 behind Jesus, in-between Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane and just ahead of Kevin De Bruyne. We've seen Sanchez drop deeper and deeper over the past year, so it's not too far-fetched to suggest he can play in a more withdrawn role than the forward position he's occupied under Arsene Wenger.

Besides, where would he fit in Mourinho's team? He'd surely take minutes away from Marcus Rashford, and United supporters desperately want the 20-year-old to succeed at the club.

CC: There will be an opening or two at City, but let's not forget that Aguero and Sanchez are the same age. If Aguero is struggling to find minutes at City, then Sanchez, who goes year after year without a summer vacation and whose gas tank runs low due to his exhausting style of play, will struggle to find minutes as well. It would be foolish to suggest he'll start almost every game.

As for where Sanchez can play at United, the logical position is as a winger on the left side of the pitch. Mourinho is alternating between Anthony Martial and Rashford, and Sanchez would be an upgrade. The only potential problem is that the Special One likes the Red Devils to defend as a unit, and using Sanchez as a winger could tire him out by chasing full-backs.

You pointed out that Sanchez can drop deeper, and he'd undoubtedly be able to do so at United. That might be Mourinho's plan. It would explain why the Red Devils reportedly offered Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Arsenal, and would be a way of giving Sanchez the freedom to roam, to identify the opponent's weak spots, and take out defenders.

AL: Because of the sheer mileage on his legs, Sanchez's days on the wing have to be numbered. He can't be expected to dart up and down the pitch when he's into his 30s. Guardiola would tap into the Chilean's more creative instincts, while Mourinho would only run the player farther into the ground, asking for more and more defensive contribution.

Guardiola is far more flexible with his players. He's redeveloped and changed their positions, and there are obvious things in Sanchez's game that the Spaniard would have to fix. Considering he can lose possession as many as 30 times per match, Sanchez would have to do a better job keeping the ball.

Plus, City's in a better position to win trophies in the present and future than United is. No matter how much money they spend, the Red Devils always seem to have an incomplete squad. City, on the other hand, is a well-oiled machine. Sanchez may have to sacrifice some minutes here and there, but I'm sure he'd accept that to get his hands on some silverware. Isn't that the main reason why he's leaving Arsenal?

CC: It is. But I'm not convinced that Sanchez is happy to simply be a character at a club that wins the Champions League. He wants to be the protagonist. He was reduced to a bit-part player by Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and shares the spotlight with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal. At the international level, he appears to be competing with Arturo Vidal for the honour of Chile's most important footballer.

Sanchez wouldn't necessarily be the face of United, but he would be of more importance at Old Trafford than the Etihad Stadium.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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