Sánchez is seen as aloof by those at United, with City privately relieved that they didn’t sign him

Manchester City have not had the best of weeks off the pitch, but their chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, could be forgiven for raising a wry smile when he watches Alexis Sánchez take the field at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Had fate plotted a different course, Sánchez would have been wearing a sky blue jersey in the derby rather than United red.

Al-Mubarak fought hard to bring Sánchez to City in the January transfer window but Ed Woodward gazumped his opposite number and a couple of days later, the forward was tinkling the ivories to the tune of Glory Glory Man United at Old Trafford after signing a four-and-a-half year contract worth about £80 million.

As soon as Sánchez had played the final note of his