Gunners rocked by Sanchez reports

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s decision to drop Alexis Sanchez for Saturday’s loss at Liverpool was the result of a training-ground altercation, British media reported on Sunday.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Sanchez walked out of training and was involved in an argument with angry teammates days before the match.

The confrontation could, the paper said, hasten Sanchez’s departure from Arsenal in the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus anxious to acquire him.

Sanchez has scored 17 goals in 26 league games this term, but the forward was left on the bench at Anfield— a move that failed miserably as Liverpool swept into a two-goal lead.

Wenger sent on Sanchez after the break and the 28-year-old immediately set up Danny Welbeck to reduce the deficit.

It was too late to spark an Arsenal comeback, however, with the Gunners losing 3-1 as they crashed out of the top four following a third loss in their past four league games.

Afterwards, Wenger said he dropped Sanchez for tactical reasons because “the thinking was we had to go more direct”, although he accepted his plan backfired.

The Telegraph alleged Sanchez walked off the training pitch mid-session which prompted teammates to confront him in the dressing room, where there was a heated argument about his attitude, prompting Wenger to drop him.

Pundits who were unaware of the reported altercation lambasted Wenger’s decision, but the Telegraph said “many” Arsenal players backed the move.