Mourinho didnt spend 30m to put him straight on the bench. Clearly he's not up to fitness yet.
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Jose acknowledged that the Community Shield was the reward for winning the FA Cup. I think he wanted to reward Lingard for his role in winning the FA Cup in the first place.
Plus, he likes experience. Lingard feels comfortable at Wembley for United now.
He has the luxury of bringing along Miki slowly. Because of Smalling's suspension, Bailly has to be blooded early. And Ibra is Ibra, so he plays.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Miki supplant Lingard when it is a weaker side than Leicester at Wembley.
When players aren't fit, experience is even more important
Plus, he likes experience. Lingard feels comfortable at Wembley for United now.
He has the luxury of bringing along Miki slowly. Because of Smalling's suspension, Bailly has to be blooded early. And Ibra is Ibra, so he plays.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Miki supplant Lingard when it is a weaker side than Leicester at Wembley.
When players aren't fit, experience is even more important
Aha. Good theory. I was a bit worried about Mikhi not getting more valuable minutes with his new team. So I'll cling to that explanation.
Mourinho stated in his BT interview that he saw Mkhitaryan as a number 10. But with Rooney playing there are we going to keep our new £30m pound signing on the bench? I hope not.
It'd be strange if one of our fundamental signings spent most of his time on the bench. Not what I would describe as fundamental!
Exactly. I hope Mou plays Mkhi on the right because he oozes quality whenever he knuckles down and plays. He's good at number 10 but he's better when played on the right like he did for Dortmund last season.
For all Lingards efforts, Mkhi is still the superior player. We can't let his talent go to waste.
We still desperately need a new RW if this is the case.
Jose said Mkhitayan was unhappy for only being on the pitch for a minute.
Seriously hope we don't misuse this guy but hopefully my worries will be put to rest by Sunday or else we will have a Di Maria esque situation coming our way.
Seriously hope we don't misuse this guy but hopefully my worries will be put to rest by Sunday or else we will have a Di Maria esque situation coming our way.
I would be worried if Mkhitaryan wouldn't be unhappy about that.
He had no Euros. He joined the squad immediately and had a full pre-season. What's the story here?
Will come on for Mata in about the 60th minute, and will become a mainstay in the team throughout the season. It is the fecking opener.
Must not be doing well in training, it's the only explanation.
The German league starts next week.. Hopefully he's just a little behind..
Another Kagawa?
He was ridiculously over-rated by people on here when we signed him.
Even so though, it seems a fairly obvious case of people over-reacting to a new signing being eased in. Suspect he'd be doing the same thing with Bailly if not for Smalling's injury/suspension.
Even so though, it seems a fairly obvious case of people over-reacting to a new signing being eased in. Suspect he'd be doing the same thing with Bailly if not for Smalling's injury/suspension.
Far too early for people to getting worried.
I'm wummingHe hasn't even played a league game yet!
Still, disappointed he's not starting.
Have we bought him as a super sub?
Gotta agree with you there. Too many people are jumping the gun as usual.
Something is wrong? He was the last sub last week, now benched again. Buys him for 30m or whatever it was and always talks about him, but doesnt start him. Find that weird, Jose always has one player he likes to tease or what. At Real he bought Modric abd rarely played him, and when his confidence was shit, until he came on at OT and destroyed us, to then be a regular til today.
He just came from a different league and Mata is experienced in the PL. This is the first game and Jose is playing it safe, calm down.
Feels like Mata is in for PR reasons
It's obvious, Mourinho's secretly Turkish.
Mata performed better in pre season. For me it's positive that Mourinho isn't just playing him because he's new.
His last season stats were absolutely incredible. Once he gets a proper run of games under his belt I'm sure he'll show his talent.
A manager willing to take him off the way he did just to win a community shield game isn't picking a player in our first league game for PR.
No he wasn't. But he was very clearly being considered to be a player who was unquestionably in the bracket below Ronaldo and Messi by a lot of posters.
I agree with you, he's a good player and should hopefully improve the team but he isn't such a massive improvement over what we already have that theres any real need to rush him in. He's not of the same calibre of Ibra or Pogba and theres no problem with recognising that and easing him in.
Why is he overrated? His stats speak for themselves..
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/28421/Show/Henrikh-Mkhitaryan
And as a wide player or a playmaker he has a great scoring record some 121 goals in 307 games.. So anyway you put this he isnt overrated by any stretch of the imagination.
You are talking about Mourinho here.
Exactly because of posts like that and people going 'WELL IF YOU LOOK AT HIS STATS'.
I'm not saying he's a bad player, but I'm saying that people have built him up to be better than he is, probably have an unfair sense of expectation for him and that he will need more time and patience to adapt then many will admit.
Mata is in for his experience. Mkhitaryan's time will come, probably at OT on Friday.
What? He hasn't even played a game and he's already ridiculously overrated?
He's a very good player. He's only been here for a month.
Think Mourinho wants to introduce him slowly.
Or he's saving him for when he cans Rooney.
Why? Ibrahimovic and Bailly haven't been introduced slowly, and I bet Pogba will start against Southampton.
No idea what are you trying to prove it here. So we can't use the stats now to judge Messi and Ronaldo too? Guess they are overrated.
I've explained the comment twice. Its possible for someone to be a 'very good player', to think they'll be a success, and to think that the general impression people formed of him before he kicked a ball for us does not reflect his actual ability.
Shockingly, I thought people were over-rating him when we were first linked to him and when he was playing for Dortmund too.
Whether he goes on to be a success here or not we didn't buy a ready made World Class player and Mourinho's treatment of him reflects that. Not his, or Mkhitaryan's, fault that peoples expectations of him are higher than they should be.
No. Try reading again. I'm talking about the specific case of Mkhitaryan and people creating an unfair sense of expectation on him.
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