It's what normally happens.
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It's what normally happens.
It would make literally no sense. Mourinho buys him, plays him once, then sells him. This isn't Football Manager.
Considering how our club's been run these past three and a half years I wouldn't be so sure
https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/...ryans-Zeit-unter-Mourinho-ist-abgelaufen.html
This one is giving more detail. Essentially the article says that rumours in Dortmund are indicating that Micky was only bought by Manchester because it was Raiola's requirement for getting Zlatan there. Nobody actually wanted him, now he will get sold. Then, the article qoutes the Sun.
Which means there is no truth in it.
Why the feck would we buy a player for 30m to make sure we sign a 35 year old on a free?
It just additionally quotes it. The rest is the Welt's own results.
As desperate as United has been when signing "marquee players", I wouldn't say it's too far fetched. Maybe it was just like: "Meh, can't hurt to try him out."
So you're basically using The Sun as a final source.
Are you implying Mkhitaryan for £26m was a desperate buy?
But we haven't even tried him out.
Not even mentioning they mkhitaryan is a perfect signing on paper for our attack. So the article is pure bs clearly.
This makes even less sense when he's signed during the same Summer as Pogba.
It's entirely based on the article from the Sun and it is pure speculation, based on that rumour that we had to buy him because Raiola insisted on it.
Even more than that, a 35 year old that very few other teams seemed to want to sign.
IIRC, the first German journo who came up with the rumor that Mkhi could have been the sweetener to any other Raila player's deal was Freddie Röckenhaus from Süddeutsche Zeitung, and this has been some time before HM's injury.
Personally, I do not rate Röckenhaus very highly any longer but Sphaero and other Dortmund fans do. Make of that what you will.
Oh wait, you were serious?
Since all I read here that money doesn't matter to United, is it really completely unbelievable?
I remember 3 months ago when the whole caf was screaming to sign him. He seems to have a certain appeal.
He's deep into Dortmund. Kinda like that one guy from Sport1 who is a terrible journalist but had a high taking source inside Bayern once.
The idea that he was used as a "sweetener" is patently absurd. People like Pogba and Zlatan go where they want to go, not where their agent tells them to.
Yes. And agents maybe tell something to the player like "they really want you, believe me" while for the club its more a "nice to have" instead a desperatly wish. Whatever, until now its a stupid move, from United and also from Micki.
You mean this terrible Ortlepp guy?!
OMG, Röckenhaus has been a formidable journo in the past, not even comparable to Orti-vor-Ort.Röckenhaus has been indeed close to Aki Watzke but that's my point. Aki could make a cyncical joke about Mkhi's situation and the reason why United bought him, and Freddie would write it without verification.
Now, as we know, Aki and Mourinho like and respect each other; Aki calls him a friend. He had invited him in Feb 2016 to our away match against Hertha, it was reported they went to dinner together etc. But I don't think that Mourinho and Aki are that close that José would tell him if he didn't want Mkhitaryan in the first place and he's just a sweetener.
No worries, mate.
This story actually started before the transfer was even finalised and will probably go around as long until Mkhitaryan finds success at United.
Röckenhaus´ biggest advantages compared to other journalists are a) that he does not need to invent stories to fill pages as he only writes on the side at this point and is not employed by a paper and b) that his sources are prime quality. He has been close friends with both our president and the CEO for many years and functions as the club´s mouthpiece for informations the club does not want to state through official channels.
That being said, it does not mean that the story is necessarily true, though. It is no secret that this transfer was anything but clean from the Armenians side and especially CEO Watzke made some statements, which between the lines are clearly to discredit Mkhitaryan (in stark contrast to the prominent departed players before) and suggest that this transfer was more personal to Watzke than the others.
Why? He has the potential to be a big player here in his prime.
Yes. It's incredibly unbelievable.
The amount of work that goes into any transfer of a player, even more so when that player is moving to a new league. Added to the fact that what you're implying is bribery & collusion between an Agent, a manager, a football club and everyone affiliated is quite possibly illegal? At the very least, grounds for removing any Agency licenses Raiola and his team hold. But also Mourinho & Manchester United would be heavily implicated.
Then the paperwork that needs to be raised, any clauses or benefactors from the sale that need to be paid, plus additional admin fees involved.
Just because United are rich doesn't mean we're going to throw away £30m just to keep Raiola happy. Especially since Juventus already paid him ~€25m for the Pogba sale.
Cause he had should consider what leaded him to this worldclass performances, and that a Mourinho as a new coach in a club which wants to end a crisis is the worst enviroment for him. And United should have been aware how this guy is functioning and how you have to deal with him to get the best out of him. Then maybe things like Mourinhos first words about him after the City-game would have been avoided. But it was a bit forseeable. Thatswhy its so funny.
Imagine you're Raiola and you want Manchester United to sign another one of your players before you let them have Zlatan.
Why would you make Mkhitaryan that player? He's a 30m+ asset you would inevitably be devaluing by allowing him to flop at United. You would make more money by getting United to sign a Bebe-type unknown player for big money while trading Mkhitaryan to clubs who actually want him.
Why did we sign Mkh when Mane was available for the same price? Another key mistake since SAF left
But do you actually believe he hasn't played since the City game because of his attitude/sensitivity, then?
I genuinely think this is a storm in a teacup and Mourinho wants a fully fit Mkhitaryan to play again rather than risk him when he's 75-80% fit.
Also, I think Mkhitaryan is a perfect player for Mourinho. Mourinho may criticise his players but he's also the first one to have his arm round them and motivating them in a manner thats second to none. Mkhitaryan was one of the first players I'd think of to bring us to the level we should be at.
Aha, thatswhy he thowed him into that city game where he wasnt a little bit fit and ready after an injury? Makes no sense.
He also threw in Valencia & Bailly when we were 70-80% fit after injuries/international duty.
Pogba's been thrown in every match for mostly 90 minutes despite having basically no pre-season beforehand.
Maybe Mourinho tried the same with Mkhi, saw that his performance dipped severely as a result, and has been managing him better since then?
I doesnt know any single example of this. Tbh i cant think of any sensitive player Mourinho made better. In my eyes he is the exact opposite in terms of motivating of the kinds of coaches Micki had back here.
Sounds professionell...
I'm just providing a different perspective to your anti-mourinho stance.
It seems much more likely that Mourinho saw his performance against City as something which is completely out of character for a player of Mkhi's quality, and has been catering to him since in order to get the best out of him.
Valencia is a work horse, and will play any game as long as he can actually run, Bailly seems to have the same mentality since we recently found out he's been carrying a knock for a couple of weeks now.
Mkhi is different and has therefore been treated differently.
Sounds plausible and realistic to me.
Hindsight is 20/20. Mkhitaryan had a much much better season than Mane.
No mate. Let me tell you as someone how watched every Mick game in the last years: Micki is the workhorse.
Hasn't Mr. Targaryan been injured? Why is everyone getting their knickers in a twist?
Apart from butt-hurt Dortmund fans and our resident attention-seeking Oliver Norwood advocate, there's actually not that many twisted knickers in this thread today. For a change.
I know he's a workhorse, I've been watching Dortmund matches for quite a number of years now - when he's fully hit he'll run all over the park.
I was saying in comparison to Bailly & Valencia who are more willing to play through the pain, Micki isn't that - and his display against City showed this. Maybe it was the occasion, maybe it was his injury, maybe it was both? Either way Mourinho has saw that he didn't put in a great performance and i'm more convinced he's treating him differently to get more out of him. Not to cast him aside.
@Sphaero
You touch upon my point in post #1901. I do not trust Röckenhaus because he won't verify what he might hear from Aki. Aki could make a cycnical joke and FR would not portray it as such.
I don't buy the sweetener story but neither the 'he needs to adapt to the physicality' story. That's so obviouly BS it hurts.
Same applies to the 'burst into tears after the sub and asked for a January move'; even Bild wouldn't come up with such fiction.
The most likely reason is that Mkhi - not for the first time as we know - struggles to cope with pressure, and I can perfectly understand if that's what makes Mourinho hesitant to play him in matches which United cannot afford to lose.
You touch upon my point in post #1901. I do not trust Röckenhaus because he won't verify what he might hear from Aki. Aki could make a cycnical joke and FR would not portray it as such.
I don't buy the sweetener story but neither the 'he needs to adapt to the physicality' story. That's so obviouly BS it hurts.
Same applies to the 'burst into tears after the sub and asked for a January move'; even Bild wouldn't come up with such fiction.
The most likely reason is that Mkhi - not for the first time as we know - struggles to cope with pressure, and I can perfectly understand if that's what makes Mourinho hesitant to play him in matches which United cannot afford to lose.
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