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Football

01st Sep 2016

Henrikh Mkhitaryan a doubt for Manchester derby after injury in international match

Rob Burnett

Jose Mourinho is sweating on the fitness of Henrikh Mkhitaryan after the midfielder was taken off in the first half of Armenia’s match on Wednesday night.

As most of us were glued to Robbie Keane’s goal-scoring farewell, Mkhitaryan was playing for his country in a 3-0 friendly defeat to the Czech Republic.

The midfielder collided with Marek Sukhy and was taken off the pitch before the half time break as a result.

The ex-Shakhtar Donestk and Borussia Dortmund man was seen clutching his chest after the collision.

With Marouane Fellaini already a major doubt with a back problem, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho will now be fearing his new signing could also miss the Manchester derby which is a week on Saturday.

HULL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 27: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Manchester United has his shot blocked by Curtis Davis of Hull City during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Hull City FC at KC Stadium on August 27, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The match has the added spice this year of being the first time Mourinho will face his old foe Pep Guardiola since the former La Liga rivals started at their new clubs in the Premier League.

Mkhitaryan has not yet started a Premier League match for United, but has come on in every game so far, and impressed when he came on against Hull City last weekend. On MUTV, Mourinho said:

“We keep eight outfield players and Sam Johnstone as the goalkeeper. We are going to lose the others and we don’t know the way they train, the way they recover, the life they are going to have with their national teams.”

Mkhitaryan was in line for a start. Now he will be lucky to even make the squad.

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