Manchester United completed the transfer of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday afternoon and Reds supporters around the world are now looking forward to watching the 27-year-old Armenian in action.
Manchester United’s official website has talked to German football expert Raphael Honigstein to gain an insight into Mkhitaryan ahead of his first match for the club, which potentially could be against his former employers Dortmund on 22 July. That high-profile friendly match will open this United’s Tour 2016, presented by Aon, in China.
Here is what Honigstein had to say about Jose Mourinho’s third signing as United manager.
THE BEST IN THE BUNDESLIGA
“Mkhitaryan is just a wonderful player, the best in the Bundesliga last year, and it really is a joy to watch him play. He’s an attacking midfielder who can play as a number 10 or on either side in a narrow attack.
“He loves to beat people, his final ball is sensational, he gets a lot of assists and he scores goals as well. He oozes technique and sophistication.”
A THINKING MAN’S FOOTBALLER
“Henrikh is definitely a thinking man’s footballer. He comes from a football family: his dad was a player, his sister works for UEFA and they are very intelligent people.
“He’s very well educated, he’s multi-lingual and extremely clever. He didn’t connect that well with Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, but did with Thomas Tuchel last season to great effect.”
BOOSTED BY A BOOK
“There’s a famous book called The Inner Game of Tennis, which a lot of sportspeople have used, and Tuchel recommended it to Mkhitaryan. He read it and actually credited it with lifting his confidence and giving him a better attitude. The results were sensational.”
FANS WILL ENJOY HIM
“Jose Mourinho’s man management should work well with him and he should prove to be a player that United fans really enjoy watching because he is just a touch of class.”
