Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez set to be handed 4-week break after 2015 Copa América

Alexis Sanchez is very likely to miss the beginning of the 2015/16 Premier League season after Arsene Wenger confirmed he intends to give the Arsenal forward a four-week break in the aftermath of this summer's Copa America tournament.

The Chilean international, who moved to the Premier League in July 2014 from reigning La Liga champions Barcelona in a deal worth approximately £35m ($53.5m), has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in English football.

As well as scoring 16 times in his first 35 top-flight appearances, Sanchez was also instrumental in the Gunners' successful attempts to capture a record 12th FA Cup crown following two goals in the extra-time victory over Reading at Wembley and a truly special 35-yard strike that lit up the final against Aston Villa.

While he has evidently endured no issues adapting to his new surroundings, a long and gruelling season must surely have taken its toll physically on the 26-year-old and he is now set to return to his homeland for the Copa America which begins in Santiago next month.

"I would prefer him (Sanchez) to have a good holiday because we played 56 games," Wenger was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail after he joined George Ramsay as the most successful manager in FA Cup history with six wins.

"And now it's not ideal that he goes to Copa America. It finishes in July and I will give him four-week holiday."

If the hosts were to reach the final on 4 July, a month-long rest for Sanchez would almost certainly rule him out of the first few games of next season with the Community Shield meeting between Arsenal and champions Chelsea pencilled in for 1 August and the Premier League scheduled to start seven days later.

Chile, who were knocked out of the 2011 Copa America at the quarter-final stage by Venezuela, open the 2015 edition against Ecuador at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos.

Jorge Sampaoli's side face Mexico at the same venue on 15 June and their final Group A fixture comes against Bolivia.