Manchester United have flown out to the United States for the start of their pre-season campaign without the services of forward Alexis Sanchez.

The Chile international, named in the Red Devils' original 24-man squad, did not board the plane with the rest of his teammates on Sunday evening.

According to The Mirror, Sanchez's absence could be down to manager Jose Mourinho giving the January signing some extra time off before linking up with the squad later in the week.

Sanchez failed to impress during his first half-season with Mourinho's men, scoring twice in 12 Premier League outings between the end of January and the middle of May.

United play five matches during their time in the United States, beginning with a friendly against Club America in Phoenix on Friday.