Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s sloppy start to the season was one which raised many eyebrows earlier in the campaign - especially due to his sizeable fee. The former Borussia Dortmund player required some time to adapt to the English game and was hit by an injury which saw him being left out of Jose Mourinho’s squad until late in November.
The Armenian, since then, had progressively found his best form and scored four goals in his last nine appearances for United. The former Shakhtar Donetsk player’s offensive and defensive contribution, especially at the left back position, made his boss praise the player and guarantee him a place in his starting XI.
Mourinho thinks Micki should start
Speaking to the press before Manchester United’s Premier League match against Hull City, the former Chelsea boss said: “Do you want me to leave Micki out after him being Man of the Match and playing so well as he did?”
The Portuguese is convinced that he simply “can’t” because “the players pick themselves” and he is “just here to analyse what they do and to try to be fair with them”. Mourinho is convinced that “after such a good performance, Micki has to play. It’s simple".
The Armenia captain was named Man of the Match after a fine display and an excellent counter-attack goal in the 4-0 FA Cup triumph against Wigan Athletic on Sunday.
Mourinho just loves multi-functional players
Mkhitaryan's offensive and defensive contribution is a very important added value for Jose's team. The Armenian international had played 646 minutes of Premier League football this season, registering 83% pass accuracy and scoring two goals.
His defensive work is also noticeable where the player made 16 interceptions and 11 clearances in the 12 Premier League games he had featured in.
Statistical data sourced from squawka.com.