Arsene Wenger has played down fears over Alexis Sanchez's fitness by revealing that he substituted him for tactical reasons rather than injury in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Galatasaray.
The Chilean was withdrawn just after the hour mark following a lunge by midfielder Felipe Melo and was seen pressing an ice pack against his foot later on.
With a Premier League trip to Chelsea on the horizon, fears have since intensified over Sanchez's participation, but Wenger claims that his substitution was linked to tactics following Wojciech Szczesny's red card.
"It could have been a red. I'll have to see it again," he said of Melo's tackle to reporters. "It looked from where I was that it was a red.
"I took Alexis off to be a bit more solid defensively once we were down to 10 men. Unfortunately, in my life I haven't met many players who are happy to come off."
Danny Welbeck bagged a hat-trick in the win, while Sanchez was also on the scoresheet.
Shane Callaghan
