Henrikh Mkhitaryan had an indifferent spell at Manchester United.
The Armenian joined the club in summer 2016. He won the Europa League with the Red Devils but in January 2018 was shipped out to Arsenal.
The spell didn’t go as well as many hoped. Mkhitaryan arrived after a good period at Borussia Dortmund, but could only score 13 goals and assist 11 times at Manchester United.
The 36-year-old spoke at the Trento Sports Festival on Sunday about his career so far.
He was asked specifically about his move to Manchester United. The Armenia international looked back on how Jose Mourinho treated him.
He said, relayed by Tuttomercatoweb: “Mourinho calls me, telling me he wants me in Manchester because he thought I’d had a fantastic season. An opportunity that maybe comes around once in a career.”
On his relationship with the Portuguese, the midfielder said: “Despite the difficulties, my relationship with him wasn’t the easiest. But he helped me grow as a person. He wanted to put me in trouble and see if I could get out of it. I’ve never given up in life.”
Reunited after Manchester United
He revealed that Mourinho’s treatment taught. him several things about the game.
“I’m not saying we had a bad relationship as people, but between coach and player, we always had unpleasant confrontations. But it was helpful in understanding how to behave in football. From there, I began to look around and understand that it was truly the right thing to do.”
When asked specifically about the ex-Manchester United manager’s psychological methods, Mkhitaryan said: “He wanted to see if you were mentally strong, if you could play in the games that matter in the Champions League and the league. This is his way of coaching and understanding people, to see if he can trust you.”
After the Red Devils won the Europa League in 2017, Mourinho shook every Manchester United player’s hand. Strangely, he didn’t do that with Mkhitaryan.
Speaking about the incident, the veteran said: “Maybe he forgot, or maybe he wanted to see how I would behave. I didn’t pay attention at the time. But obviously it left its mark on me: Why?’ I asked myself. But I’ve learned that a person doesn’t necessarily have to hug you to say “well done.”
It is clear Mourinho used his classic ‘tough love’ tactic with Mkhitaryan. Considering how things turned out for the player at Manchester United, the Portuguese coach wasn’t convinced by him.
The two reunited at AS Roma in the 2021/22 season.
Mkhitaryan impressed at that point, scoring five times and assisting six times in Serie A. He also won the Conference League under the ex-Tottenham manager, making an appearance in the final.
