Alexis Sanchez's move to Manchester United at the start of the year was supposed to be a real statement of everyone's ambition.

United beat Manchester City to his signature, after all, stopping them from adding even more talent to their already staggering depth, while adding a world-class player of their own.

And Sanchez wasn't taking the 'easy' route of moving to a team who were effectively champions already - he was going to join United and help bring them up to City's level.

It hasn't worked out that way, however.

Sanchez has managed just four goals in his 28 United games - that's half of what he managed in his last six months with Arsenal, and they were far from his best.

Rumours persist that the player wants out, with Paris Saint-Germain allegedly his preferred destination (they're one of the few that could afford his reported £391,000-a-week wages, for one thing).

But according to a new report, Sanchez isn't the only one with regrets - Jose Mourinho now wishes he'd move forward with his original plan instead of Sanchez.

The Times claims that Mourinho has privately admitted that he regrets not signing Internazionale's Ivan Perisic the previous summer instead of Arsenal's Chilean.

United have long been linked with Perisic but they've never made a genuine move, as much as Mourinho wishes they had done.

You'd have to think that the Croatian would fit into the side a little more fluidly than Sanchez has - United's number 7 has struggled to make a position his own, not quite suiting midfield but unable to provide what's needed as a forward.

With Sanchez unsettled and Mourinho feeling regretful, it's surely only a matter of time before something happens.

Perhaps things will click into place and the signing will look a decent one but you have to admit that it looks unlikely.

Instead, it may be time for Mourinho to find a new plan - or revisit an old one.