Despite Sanchez, 30, struggling for form and fitness since arriving from Arsenal in January 2018, Solskjaer believes the Chilean will "come good".

"It's these stories again that he's been put in the reserves - of course he hasn't," Solskjaer said.

"He's a few weeks behind the rest, but he's very close to being part of it."

Sanchez, who arrived at Old Trafford as part of a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan on a £14m-a-year contract, suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Chile in the Copa America last month, which ruled him out of United's pre-season fixtures and the opening Premier League win over Chelsea.

Solskjaer says Sanchez, who has scored five goals for United in 31 appearances, is "such a professional" who "works really hard" in training, adding he expects the former Barcelona man to play a significant part in his side's attack this season.

"We don't have the biggest forward line in numbers, so Alexis might end up playing a lot more games than you expect," the Norwegian, 46, said.

"We expect him to come good at this club. He's quality."

United's next match is against next Wolves in the Premier League on Monday at 20:00 BST.