Your trusted source

Football pundit Tom Maston has authored an article on Goal.com, assessing the efficiency and input of Armenian National Captain, Manchester United attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s in the overall performance of the squad. 

The author suggests that in case Mourinho wishes to assess his first summer of transfer business in charge of the Red Devils, he needs look no further than Henrikh Mkhitaryan, given the price tag of the world most expansive footballer Paul Pogba.

“Signed for just £26m in pre-season, the Armenia international in recent weeks could have fooled some uneducated supporters into believing that he — not Pogba — was the man brought in for a world-record fee. Unlike Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay before him, Mkhitaryan has been able to answer those who questioned his suitability for United and then some. Against Blackburn on Sunday he was — at least until Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba entered the fray — the best player on the pitch,’’ writes Maston.

The author recalls the Armenian’s display against Blackburn Rovers in the recent FA Cup match, where Mkhitaryan “proved a constant menace with his direct running while his composure and passing in the final third was in stark contrast to the inexperienced players around him.”

“This display was just of a series since his return to the fold in November that have proven to Mourinho and United fans that they have a player who — at 28 — is enjoying the best form of his career. Mkhitaryan has the potential to form part of a fearsome attacking machine once the club has completed the rebuild of a squad that was left in a worrying state by Sir Alex Ferguson's departure four years ago,” Maston concludes.