Sanchez left out by Chile at Man United's request

Chile's all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player Alexis Sanchez will not feature against Japan and South Korea.

Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez

Chile left out star forward Alexis Sanchez for its upcoming international friendlies at the recommendation of Premier League giant Manchester United.

Reinaldo Rueda included Barcelona recruit Arturo Vidal for the trip to the Far East, where Chile will face Japan and South Korea on September 6 and 10, respectively.

However, Chile's all-time leading goalscorer and most-capped player Sanchez was not on the list, having struggled for form and fitness at United.

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Sanchez missed the shock defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion with a "little problem", while the 29-year-old came off the bench in last week's 3-0 loss against Tottenham.

"It's a recommendation from Manchester United's medical staff. He is recovering, but all that this trip means the suggestion was that he should not participate in these friendlies. Respecting that and what Alexis feels we did not take into account for this call," Chile head coach Rueda said.

Chile, which failed to qualify for the World Cup, meets Japan in Sapporo before visiting Suwon to play South Korea.