Chile left out star forward Alexis Sanchez for their upcoming international friendlies at the recommendation of Premier League giants Manchester United.

Reinaldo Rueda included Barcelona recruit Arturo Vidal for the trip to the Far East, where Chile will face Japan and South Korea on 6 and 10 September respectively.

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However, Chile’s all-time leading goal-scorer and most-capped player Sanchez was not on the list, having struggled for form and fitness at United.

Sanchez missed the shock defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion with a ‘little problem’, while the 29-year-old came off the bench in last week’s 3-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur.

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‘It’s a recommendation from Manchester United’s medical staff,’ Chile head coach Rueda said.

‘He is recovering but… the suggestion was that he should not participate in these friendlies.

‘Respecting that and what Alexis feels, we did not take him into account for this call.’

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Chile, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, meet Japan in Sapporo before visiting Suwon to play South Korea.