Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists he should not be compared to former Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze and has vowed to justify his large transfer fee in the second half of the season, Goal.com reports.
The Armenia international, who has scored five goals in 23 appearances in all competitions, hopes his form will be more consistent in the second half of the season but has urged supporters not to compare him to former BVB stars Gotze and Shinji Kagawa.
“I cannot help it that I have become so expensive. But I will do everything so that Borussia Dortmund do not regret buying me,” Mkhitaryan told Waz.
Talking about comparisons made between himself and former Dortmund players, the midfielder added: “Every player is different, you cannot compare us.”
Sporting director Michael Zorc is also confident that the former Shakhtar Donetsk man will fully settle in to life at the German club and repeat the form that put him on the radar of several of Europe’s elite last season.
“He’s had some games where he has not stood out. Others he has almost single-handedly decided the result,” Zorc told Waz.
“He came from a league in which he did not need to recover the absolute top level every few days. But that is called for in the Bundesliga and other leagues. At this level he has to get used to that.”
Team-mate Marco Reus also believes it is unfair to compare Mkhitaryan to other players, instead insisting that he has the credentials to be a great player for Dortmund in his own right.
“None of us have said that he is supposed to be Mario’s successor. He has already shown that he brings his own qualities,” Reus added.
