‘It was sad’: Micah Richards says 32-year-old ‘became a laughing stock’ after leaving Arsenal

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Speaking on the Match of the Day Top 10 Podcast, Micah Richards has been discussing Alexis Sanchez and his exit from Arsenal.

Richards, alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, was tasked with naming the top 10 South American players to ever appear in the Premier League, and, somewhat unsurprisingly, Sanchez made the cut.

Sanchez was nothing short of world-class during his time at Arsenal, but unfortunately, ever since leaving the Emirates, he’s not been up to scratch, and Richards has been speaking about the Chilean’s post-Arsenal career.

What’s been said?

Richards discussed Sanchez with Lineker on the podcast.

“He was brilliant at Arsenal wasn’t he, but maybe he was played out by then? He’d played so much football from so young,” Gary Lineker said.

“Yeah, but he became a laughing stock at Man United, which is a shame really because he was a top player,” Richards said.

“He was quality, like you say he worked hard, he reminded me of Tevez because he worked hard and he had so much skill and creativity, he was the go-to man. It was sad when he went to Man United, because I thought that would be a great move for him, I really did. I thought he would kick on like van Persie, but it didn’t happen,” Richards concluded.

Shame

It’s actually quite sad to look back on Sanchez’s Premier League career, especially when a list like this is being put together.

Sanchez was ranked outside of the top 5 South Americans to appear in the league, but during his time at Arsenal, he was right up there with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez.

Unfortunately, his Premier League legacy was tainted by his time at Old Trafford, and as Richards says, he did become something of a joke figure after he left north London.