OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: They sold Solskjaer's best goalscorer to Inter. They loaned his best defender to Roma. His best midfielder rarely plays. It's time for Ed Woodward to explain.

Manchester United are set to perform a shock u-turn by giving Alexis Sanchez another chance to prove himself at the club. Sanchez is currently on loan at Inter Milan.

Christian Eriksen came off the bench to make his Inter Milan debut as Antonio Conte's men made it through to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.

PETER CROUCH: The deal looks brilliant at first glance, doesn't it? Bruno Fernandes, a top-class Portugal international who was wanted by many top European clubs, has joined Manchester United.

There have been a number of exits since the Norwegian took charge, the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young all departing.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has overseen a clear-out since taking charge of Manchester United. A total of nine senior players have left on permanent deals or loans and more might follow.

TOM COLLOMOSSE: Inter are strong favourites given AC Milan's current chaotic state, yet this is the sort of match that defines a season - perhaps even an era.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was at a loss to understand AC Milan's second half collapse at the San Siro after they let a two-goal lead slip to lose the Milan derby 4-2 to title-chasing arch rivals Inter

The Red Devils forward is currently on loan at Inter Milan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has recently said he would return to the club this summer. But this looks to be a ploy to salvage his re-sale value.

Mason Greenwood has given his verdict on the four fastest players at Manchester United - but forgot to include speedster Daniel James among the contenders for his 4x100 sprint race team.

Inter fan favourite Ivan Zamorano has hailed the impact of manager Antonio Conte and believes that much-maligned forward Alexis Sanchez could prove pivotal in their quest to win Serie A this season.

CEO Giuseppe Marotta has expressed his fears after Inter's match at Juventus, which was to have been played later on Sunday, was one of five which were postponed by Serie A on Saturday.

Serie A supremo Dal Pino has revealed that the Nerazzurri were offered the chance to switch their clash with Juve to Monday and face the reigning champions without playing behind closed doors.

Alexis Sanchez will need to accept a significant drop in wages if he wants to complete a permanent switch to Inter Milan this summer, according to Tuttosport.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: Sanchez's move to Inter Milan was supposed to save his career but it is increasingly looking like another misstep from a player who has failed to hit his former heights.

Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal could be quarantined due to coronavirus if they travel to South America for the World Cup qualifiers later this month. 

The French star only arrived at the Nou Camp last summer has not yet made the impact that was hoped of him, and now Barca are willing to cash in as part of a wider revamp of the squad.

Liverpool have been transformed since Klopp arrived in 2015 and the Reds are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, a sign United must change tact, says Van Persie.

Alexis Sanchez (left) is set to rake in a huge £1.1million bonus when he returns to Manchester United from his loan spell at Inter Milan as a clause in the Chilean's contract will be triggered.

With a dismal loan spell at Inter Milan destined to come to an underwhelming end, Manchester United are facing the prospect of shelling out yet more cash on flop Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean is currently on loan at Inter Milan but has failed to make an impression and United are keen to offload Sanchez. Ince wouldn't be surprised if Sanchez turned things around at Old Trafford.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly prepared to sell five players this summer as part of an overhaul of his squad.

Alexis Sanchez has had a less-than-impressive loan spell with Inter Milan this season having been deemed surplus to requirements last summer by Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Fernandes has not crumbled under the United curse that has seen the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao all not live up to their billing after joining the club.

Alexis Sanchez has had a difficult year according to his Chile boss Reinaldo Rueda. The Manchester United forward is on loan at Inter Milan where he has been in and out of the side with injuries.

Both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's contracts at the Emirates were set to expire in the summer of 2018 and as the days drew on, it appeared their time at the club was coming to an end.

Manchester United will continue their squad overhaul this summer and it means clearing out some of the deadwood in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad to raise funds. But who could depart Old Trafford?

The 31-year-old may be forced to train separately from United's first-team squad at Carrington when the current season reaches a conclusion, after failing to impress during his Serie A loan spell.

The Gunners have sold the likes of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Alexis Sanchez in recent years while Aaron Ramsey left on a free transfer last season.

TOM UTLEY: Worse than any of this, I so adore my new car that I've taken to making entirely unnecessary journeys for the sheer love of driving it.

Sonja Falck, senior psychotherapy lecturer at East London University has claimed someone who uses terms such as 'geek' or nerd' should be prosecuted for a hate crime, writes TOM UTLEY.

TOM UTLEY: You can tell a lot about the way modern families tend to neglect their elderly by the number of car parking spaces available on our road in south London.

TOM UTLEY: To those who argue that there are no fundamental differences between men and women, I say consider the matter of packing for a holiday.

TOM UTLEY: Well, the minutes passed, and then the hours - and still I could get nothing but that infuriating message. I began to feel something like panic stealing over me.

TOM UTLEY: This week's very sad news of Terry Jones's death, after his long decline into dementia, took me straight back to the JCR at my Cambridge college in the early 1970s.

TOM UTLEY: All right, I'm prepared to believe that some people spend a chunk of every day wishing they'd done something differently. Take David Cameron...

TOM UTLEY: First, a shameful confession: when news of the coronavirus first broke, I planned to write a column asking what all the fuss was about (pictured, PM Boris Johnson).

TOM UTLEY: All my grown-up life, I've prided myself on being something of a non-conformist - a maverick unafraid to question and challenge the conventional wisdom and conduct of the herd.

TOM UTLEY: As a fellow scribbler remarked elsewhere this week, wild animals seem to possess 'some atavistic sixth sense that humans are in disarray or on the retreat'.

It's the first time since I foolishly took up smoking during my gap year in France almost 50 years ago that I've heard anyone suggest my addiction might actually be doing me good, writes TOM UTLEY.

TOM UTLEY: I couldn't help feeling a momentary twinge of sympathy for Ryan Hoyle, 38, when I read yesterday that the self-employed joiner had just won £58,366,487 in the EuroMillions draw.

TOM UTLEY: On the day this week when Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds were celebrating their happy event, my wife and I received joyful news about our own baby boy.

The fortunes which Saudi Arabia are willing to invest in 'sports-washing' their image will price any fight between Joshua and the winner of Fury's rematch with Wilder.

Sportsmail photographer Kevin Quigley has been shortlisted in two categories for the SJA British Sports Journalism awards this year. 

Former world champion Joseph Parker will face Shawndell Winters in Texas on February 29 - his first fight since pulling out of a contest with Dereck Chisora after being bitten by a spider. 

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has emerged as a frontrunner to stage Joshua's first defence of the titles he recaptured last year after exacting revenge on Andy Ruiz Jnr in Saudi Arabia.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed Saudi Arabia would be willing to offer a staggering £150million to have the potential bout staged in the Middle East, should Fury beat Deontay Wilder on February 22.

Deontay Wilder has taken a swipe at heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua as he steps up preparations for his rematch with Tyson Fury by mocking his boxing style.

Hearn has claimed that both Wilder and Fury have rebuffed offers to face Joshua in the past but believes that they have reached a point now where the fight has to happen.

The model, 31, looked sensational in her dark fitted dress as she attended the dinner with Jade, 27, and several other stars in London's Amazonico restaurant on Thursday,