DBasia.news – Henrikh Mkhitaryan chose to stay at AS Roma despite having the opportunity to leave for free this summer. He seemed not traumatized by the bitter experience of playing under Jose Mourinho.
Mkhitaryan was predicted to choose to leave Roma this summer. It could not be separated from Il Giallorossi’s decision to appoint Mourinho as the new coach to replace Paulo Fonseca.
These two figures do have an unpleasant story in the past. Mourinho is arguably responsible for dimming the career of a Mkhitaryan.
Mourinho and Mkhitaryan have been in a relationship since the summer of 2016. At that time, the two met at Manchester United.
Mourinho, who was recently appointed as manager of the Red Devils, brought in Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £30 million. The Armenian national is projected to be one of the foundations of the Red Devils’ front line.
Mkhitaryan responded well to this belief. Manchester United ended the season with two trophies, the League Cup and the Europa League.
However, their relationship began to deteriorate a year later. Mourinho began to be dissatisfied with the decline in performance shown by Mkhitaryan.
At its peak, Mkhitaryan became a medium of exchange for Manchester United to bring Alexis Sanchez in the winter of 2018. Mourinho indirectly expelled him to Arsenal.
The bad experience has now been forgotten by Mkhitaryan. He believes he can improve his relationship with Mourinho at Rome.
“I don’t want to talk about the past. We discussed it together and started from scratch at a different level,” Mkhitaryan told Sky Sport Italia.
“I know what he asks of the players and I am ready to give everything.”
The experience of playing under Mourinho is indeed a distinct advantage for Mkhitaryan. He at least knew the Portuguese tactician’s wishes.
“Mourinho is very ambitious, he always wants to win. He doesn’t care if we play good or bad football, it’s all about the three points,” he added.
One of the reasons for the dimming of Mkhitaryan’s rays at Manchester United cannot be separated from Mourinho’s game philosophy. All players are required to help the defense in the philosophy of football.
Meanwhile, Mkhitaryan is considered lazy in carrying out his defensive duties. This experience became a valuable asset for him to succeed on the second chance.