It turns out Henrikh Mkhitaryan is actually a good player.
The Armenian forward was brilliant for Borussia Dortmund last season but has, until the past few weeks, struggled at Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho questioned the player’s fitness and regularly left him out of matchday squads. However, Mkhitaryan is finally getting a run in the first-team and was very impressive against West Ham United in the 4-1 win, which secured United’s place in the EFL Cup semi-final.
The 27-year-old set-up Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the opening goal of the night, with a brilliant back-heel pass, and even earned praise from his manager.
This is what he's capable of https://t.co/cjMbV8LCJA
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) December 1, 2016
“I’m so happy because today was against a Premier League team with Premier League qualities with Premier League characteristics,’ Mourinho told Sky Sports after the game.
“That showed clearly his evolution. Against Feyenoord we could think, ‘Okay, it is a different profile of football’, but today was against a proper and typical Premier League team and Micky could perform this way. So, I’m really happy.
“We know the reason why we bought him and we were waiting for his adaptation and it looks like it’s coming.”
Mourinho’s assessment of Mkhitaryan’s performance will surely excite United fans, who have been clamouring to see more of the player, as it suggests the Armenian will now have more of a central role in the first team.
The United manager also paid tribute to the victims of the tragic Chapecoense plane crash in his interview.
Michael Lundy joins Wooly for a wide-ranging discussion that starts with a chat about Ger Loughnane, dodgy transfers and Davy Fitzgerald’s training methods. Subscribe here on iTunes.
