“Everything was up to me” – Henrikh Mkhitaryan on Arsenal move

Don't reduce Henrikh Mkhitaryan to merely being a makeweight in Manchester United's pursuit of Alexis Sanchez.

In January, with six months remaining on his Arsenal contract, both United and Manchester City were doing battle for Sanchez's signature. A monster wage package, coupled with several lucrative bonuses, eventually saw the Red Devils win out and add the Chile international to their squad. It has been suggested that United used Mkhitaryan, who had fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho, as something of an added incenvtive for the Gunners. Mourinho had made it clear that he didn't see a future for Mkhitaryan at Old Trafford but the headlines which branded the Armenian playmaker a makeweight do not sit well with the 29-year-old. "I didn’t come here to replace anyone," Mkhitaryan told FourFourTwo. "Everyone keeps saying that I’ve been part of a deal for Alexis Sanchez but it’s not true because he was running down his contract. "If he didn’t choose to come to Manchester United, he would have stayed at Arsenal until the summer. "Everything was up to me. I’m not saying I was important in this aspect but I want everyone to understand I wasn’t made part of the deal for Alexis Sanchez. "We’re different players, we’re different characters, we have different abilities and skills."