Manchester United forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan has stated that he is to blame for his slow start at Old Trafford.
Taking my chance and keeping it
Optimism was through the roof when Mkhitaryan made his big money move from Borussia Dortmund this summer, however it hasn't been the start that he 27-year-old will have hoped for.
After being taken off at half-time during September's defeat to Manchester City, it seemed that he was frozen out of the squad by manager Jose Mourinho until the end of last month.
The Armenian has shown the quality that he has in the last few weeks, and admitted that he was the problem for his slow start and intends to keep his place in the side.
"The problem wasn’t him it was me," he told the Daily Mail. "Now I understand why."
"I have got my chance and I will keep it," he stated. "It’s very important for me to be a part of Manchester United."
"I had a bad game against City but I kept working," the Armenian admitted. "I have done a great job to get my chance back."
"The manager has five or six players in my position," Mkhitaryan added. "But I know how I can help."
Helping the team
Mkhitaryan has traveled with the squad ahead of Thursday's crucial Europa League clash with FC Zorya Luhansk. The Red Devils only need the one point in Ukraine to make it into the last 32, the winger is expected to start and stated to the press that he is ready for any situation.
"You have to be ready for every situation," he told manutd.com. "I was ready and I showed I am a top-level player."
"It doesn’t matter if I am going to play or not," the winger admitted. "I am always ready to help the team."
"I don’t want to talk about that because it’s in the past already," the 27-year-old stated. "But we have spoken a lot; first, when I came here and he told me what I have to improve."
"I think he saw I improved in that time and he gave me the next chance to play again," Mkhitaryan concluded. "It was difficult to watch the games without me but I have proved that I can play with the main squad."
Manchester United will take on FC Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League at the Chornomorets Stadium on Thursday, December 8 with kick-off at 6pm GMT.