Jose Mourinho explains why Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn’t played for Man United
The Manchester United boss lifts the lid on why Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn't featured for Manchester United
Jose Mourinho has finally lifted the lid on why Henrikh Mkhitaryan has found his first-team opportunities limited at Manchester United this season.
The Armenia international has started a Premier League game since a disappointing performance in a 1-0 loss to defending champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the end of October.
The Red Devils midfielder’s last top-flight appearance came in the final 19 minutes of Manchester United’s 1-0 win against promoted side Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford last month.
The 29-year-old has been a surprise absentee from recent Manchester United squads amid talk of a potential return to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window.
However, Red Devils manager Mourinho insists that he finds it difficult accommodating all his attacking talents in the team and on the bench given the array of options at his disposal.
Speaking at his pre-match media conference ahead of Manchester United’s last-eight clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate, Mourinho opened up about Mkhitaryan’s lack of opportunities.
“At the moment, we are playing [Juan] Mata, [Marcus] Rashford, [Jesse] Lingard or [Anthony] Martial and [Romelu] Lukaku,” Mourinho said.
“So, on the bench, we have [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and one of the other ones, Martial or Rashford. So there is no space for everyone because you need balance on the bench too.”
Mkhitaryan has scored two goals and has made six assists in 16 appearances in all competitions in the current campaign.
Manchester United signed Mkhitaryan in a £30m deal from Dortmund in the 2016 summer transfer window.
