Alexis Sanchez's arrival will affect Marcus Rashford's time on the pitch, claims Redknapp

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp believes that it will be very hard for Marcus Rashford to get proper game time at Manchester United following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez as the Chilean's reputation as a world-class player will force manager Jose Mourinho to side with him.

Rashford has found regular game time harder to come by under Mourinho this season owing to the rise of Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial, and has been mostly shunted to the wide positions to accommodate Romelu Lukaku, who is preferred to run the channels through the middle.

Sanchez recently swapped Arsenal for United, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way, and is expected to play a starring role for the remainder of the 2017/18 season.

Despite the lack of a starting berth on a regular basis, Rashford is the only player in United's squad to have featured in almost all of the club's competitive fixtures so far this season. He has netted 10 times in all competitions this campaign. Rashford notably started in United's 4-0 win over Yeovil Town in the FA Cup on Friday, 26 January, alongside Sanchez and got a goal as well.

However, the Chilean's arrival could see his minutes on the pitch take a beating, which would be a concern ahead of the World Cup later this year, something that Redknapp is not particularly pleased with.

"Due to his reputation and the fact he has been bought by the manager, Sanchez will always go ahead of Rashford whether he is playing better or not," Redknapp told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Express. "It's the hardest thing for a young English player.

"You feel like you are just getting to the top of the pecking order and then suddenly, bang, it's like a sledgehammer hits you. Your club have signed a world star. Mourinho has said Sanchez can be an inspiration to Rashford but I don't think that's what he needs right now.

"We're talking about an established England international. There is only one way to learn, and it's not by sitting next to someone in the dressing room, it's by playing in the team."