Jose Mourinho explains reasons for his third Man United signing

Jose Mourinho has lifted the lid on Manchester United’s pursuit of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and explained the key reasons why he has moved to bring him to the club.

The Red Devils completed a deal to sign the Armenia international on Wednesday afternoon after they agreed a fee with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of the playmaker over the weekend.

Mkhitaryan has become United’s third summer signing following the arrivals of defender Eric Bailly and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

And Mourinho believes that Mkhitaryan has all the attributes needed to become a star at Old Trafford.

Speaking in an interview with MUTV on Tuesday, Mourinho said: “Mkhi is a fantastic player. And what I like more is something that is undeniable, that is the number of goals he scores by not being a striker.

“His number of goals per season is really high for somebody who is not a striker. The number of assists is also very clear because it shows clearly his creativity, his vision, his concept of collective play, and is something that I believe is really important for a club like us.

“We’ll try to be dominant, and I’m sure we will face teams with a very defensive profile, which is his capacity of acceleration of the game.

“He has a change of speed, with ball and without ball, that is very very important for a club like us.”

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Mourinho is still believed to be in the market for at least one more player in the summer transfer window as he prepares for his first season in charge of the club.

The Red Devils appointed the 53-year-old as manager after sacking Louis van Gaal at the end of last season.