Juan Sebastian Veron has said that Jose Mourinho must give Alexis Sanchez more freedom for him to thrive following an underwhelming start to life at Manchester United.
Sanchez has scored just one goal in 10 appearances in all competitions for United since moving from Arsenal in January and recently said he was disappointed with his start at Old Trafford.
"These types of players don't have to prove anything," Veron, the former Argentina international who became the first South American to play at United in 2001, told El Grafico. "In order to see the best version of Alexis, one needs to have a little patience."
Sanchez scored seven Premier League goals and eight goals in all competitions for Arsenal earlier this season after finishing with 24 league goals and 30 overall last season.
Although he was benched by Jose Mourinho for the 2-0 FA Cup quarterfinal win over Brighton before the international break, Sanchez did start for Chile in their two international friendlies, a 2-1 win at Sweden on March 24 and the goalless draw at Denmark on Tuesday.
Veron, who won one Premier League title during his time at Old Trafford, thinks United coach Jose Mourinho needs to give Sanchez more room to manoeuvre.
"For me, [Sanchez] is a player that needs more freedom, because he moves everywhere in attack and also gives you a hand when stepping back," Veron said.
United host Swansea City on Saturday before next weekend's derby against Manchester City.
Second in the Premier League, Mourinho's side are 16 points adrift of United with eight games remaining.