Alexis Sanchez hailed as 'remarkable' by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has defended his decision to start Alexis Sanchez in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Saturday, describing the Arsenal forward as "remarkable".

The Chile international played and scored twice in his country's 3-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Uruguay last Tuesday, despite Wenger suggesting it would be "suicidal" to select him.

Sanchez had been struggling for fitness after suffering a low grade calf muscle tear in training, and missed the World Cup Qualifier against Colombia five days before the clash with Uruguay because of the problem.

Despite his two goal showing for Chile, the 27-year-old's inclusion for the match at Old Trafford remained uncertain, having only reported back to training at Arsenal on Thursday.

However, Wenger put Sanchez back into action and allowed him to complete 90 minutes, insisting the Chile international had the qualities to hurt Jose Mourinho's side.

"It's very unusual [to play someone after that]," Wenger told Arsenal's official website. "I chose him because Alexis is a guy who can take people on and I knew that would be a quality that would work. He's always a player who is not scared of anybody.

"He is good on the counterattack, good in short spaces as well.