Alexis Sanchez joined Man United ‘at worst moment’ and is struggling, admits manager Jose Mourinho

JOSE MOURINHO admits Alexis Sanchez is struggling at Manchester United after joining "at the worst moment of the season".

Sanchez was particularly poor in Monday's 3-2 comeback win at Crystal Palace, where he gave away possession 19 times in a dreadful first half at Selhurst Park.

The Chilean striker joined United from Arsenal in January, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the opposite way.

He is believed to be on £505,000-a-week at Old Trafford.

Asked if he was getting the best out of Sanchez, Mourinho said: "No.

"What is wrong is that he came in the worst moment of the season, which is the winter market. That's why I don't like the winter market very, very much.

"I think this was a chance that we didn't want to lose, and we made it.

"But we don't believe a lot in the winter market and for sure next season will be better for him.

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"But, of course, he is learning how to play with us and we are learning how to get the best out of him."

Sanchez has started all eight matches since joining United, but Mourinho has yet to find a way of effectively shoehorning him into his attack.

The United boss says it is "great" that the forward is perhaps trying too much - "not afraid to take responsibilities, not afraid to try things to happen.

But he baulked at the suggestion he was weakness.

He added: "That's something that we can develop, and we are going to develop with time, with experience and living these experiences together.

"I don't consider that a weakness, I consider that a huge potential to be developed."

Asked what the weaknesses of his team are, Mourinho retorted: "I don't tell you. But if you ask the oracles, the oracles will tell you."

Gary Neville and Graeme Souness have criticised United recently, with Mourinho appearing to take aim at them in his pre-Liverpool press conference by saying some pundits were unable to "resolve their own problems when they were managers".

Second-place United enter the weekend two points better off than Liverpool in third, but Jurgen Klopp's attack-minded side have attracted the lion's share of plaudits this term.

Mourinho added: "They have qualities and they have weaknesses. We have qualities and we have weaknesses.

"One of my good qualities as a coach was always to know very, very well my team's weaknesses and sometimes I try to hide them and sometimes I have to try to compensate them with other things.

"But Liverpool is Liverpool and we are what we are."