After his big money move in the summer, big things have been expected of Henrikh Mkhitaryan but he has failed to deliver for Manchester United thus far.

The Armenian international's derby performance was far from perfect. For 45 minutes, he was lost on the right flank, looking lost and tired.

Jose Mourinho's post match interview rubbed salt into his wounds, as the the Portuguese claimed that two players let him down. Mkhitaryan, who was replaced in the second half by Marcus Rashford, was one of them and they wouldn't have played if the manager knew that this scenario was going to happen.

Mkhitaryan's performance was so poor that Mourinho's mind and his decision of replacing him was already made before the 20th minute, but the boss made his changes late on to avoid destroying his player's confidence.

Frustration over his postion

Mkhitaryan has been played out wide in a three-man attack behind the striker in all United's games so far this season. However, according to The Sun, Mkhitaryan is unsatisfied with playing on the right and prefers playing as a number 10.

The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder played a limited role as an attacking midfielder last season, and the majority of his success came playing on the wings; in which he scored 23 goals and recorded 32 assists.

Wayne Rooney is currently occupying the role Mkhitaryan's asking for and the England captain is failing to impress many this season. Will the Armenian take over the number 10 task which requires a lot of speed, creativity and character in the upcoming weeks?

Thigh injury

Things are not looking bright for Mkhitaryan, and The Times say the midfielder has aggravated the thigh injury he suffered on international duty and will be out for 10 days.

The new signing could miss United's next three games, where the Red Devils face Feyenoord, Watford and Northampton Town.

Mkhitaryan will be a huge loss for the team, who are in constant need for fit players with the UEFA Europa League and EFL Cup campaigns kicking off this month. 

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About the author
Karen Fawaz
Manchester United fan from Lebanon.