Chile coach Eduardo Berizzo insists Alexis Sanchez is available and could even start against Colombia, but their former fitness coach warns anaemia means the Inter man ‘will certainly not be at his best.’
There were concerns when Sanchez did not take part in training during international duty in Chile and was undergoing medical treatment, later reported to be a mild form of anaemia.
Italian media were confident that Inter knew of the condition and flagged it during his medical when arriving from Olympique Marseille as a free agent in the final days of the transfer session, so were not worried.
Now Chile coach Berizzo has assured in a press conference that Alexis Sanchez “is available and could play, either from the start or for quite a few minutes. He is fully in condition to play” their qualifier against Colombia.
However, former Chile fitness coach Hernan Torres spoke to Redgol and warned anaemia is going to have an effect on Alexis Sanchez’s performance, both for his country and for Inter.
“Physical activity depends on the blood flow, so the lack of iron and red blood cells is a big problem when doing intensive activity. This can be resolved in various ways, but along with the fact he hasn’t played for a while in professional competition, Alexis Sanchez will certainly not be at his best.”
The striker will turn 35 in December and has 51 goals in 153 senior caps for Chile.