Arsene Wenger reveals playing injured Alexis Sanchez in 1-1 draw against Manchester United

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted he played injured Alexis Sanchez in his side's 1-1 draw against Manchester United on 19 November. The Gunners escaped a defeat as substitute Olivier Giroud's late header cancelled Juan Mata's goal.

The former Barcelona forward was included in the Chile squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Uruguay. He missed the clash against Colombia after suffering a low grade muscle injury and played the majority of the match in his national side's 3-1 win over Uruguay, where he scored the brace.

Prior to the clash against Uruguay, Wenger had urged Chile not to play Sanchez due to the concern over his hamstring injury. He played with a heavy strapping on his right thigh against United and completed the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

"It's very unusual [for me to use an injured player]. But I did it because Sanchez is a guy who can take people on and I knew that would be a quality. He is good in counterattacks in short spells as well. He is always a player who is not scared of anybody," ESPN quoted Wenger as saying.

Sanchez had only one full training session with Arsenal on Friday following his 15-hour flight from South America. The Gunners' boss heaped praise on the Chilean international for his overall display against United.

"I think he played very well in the first half. In the second half, we didn't give him enough service. But overall, for a guy who has played a decisive game on Tuesday for Chile, or basically Wednesday morning, travelled after and had jet lag, it's remarkable that he was able to play as he did."

Arsenal host French champions Paris Saint-Germain in a midweek Champions League clash at the Emirates. It should be seen whether Wenger will star Sanchez or Giroud to lead the Gunners' attack against the Ligue 1 giants.