Do you have the clip of the same? I watched the inteview on youtube but he did not discuss Mkhitaryan in it.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan | José says "We have three"
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I don't think Mourinho said anything about him in the MUTV interview but as the thread title suggests, he strongly hinted that it was a done deal during the press conference.
Apparently he did, they did not show it on MUTV. But it's available via the United App. He talks about him right after he talks about Baily.
Here is the transcript (from reddit):
Interviewer: Is it okay that we ask a question about Mkhitaryan, which we won’t use until its done. Is that okay? (Someone in the background says yes. Jose makes a facial expression saying ‘ask her, not me’.) The third signing, Mkhitaryan, who I’m sure many fans have seen play for Dortmund. What are you expecting to see from him here at Old Trafford?
Jose: First of all, let me say that we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the French League and with Mkhi, we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the Bundesliga. And voted not by the fans, not by the journalists – voted by the fellow players. And that is the one which means more, I believe – because when you’re fellow players are the ones that choose you, it means a lot. Mkhi is a fantastic player. And what I like more is the something that is undeniable, that is the number of goals he scores by not being a striker. His number of goals per season is really high for somebody who is not a striker. The number of assists is also very clear because it shows clearly his creativity, his vision, his concept of collective play, and is something that I believe is really important for a club like us. We’ll try to be dominant, and I’m sure we will face teams with a very defensive profile, which is his capacity of acceleration of the game. He has a change of speed, with ball and without ball, that is very very important for a club like us.
What app?
Mourinho seems a huge fan. But he only bought him to get Ibra and Pogba 
I like what Jose says. Sounds very convinced of his ability.
You're hardly going to buy Bundesliga POTY and say he's terrible.
Plus he wants to give every player confidence that the club CAN win the title this year, part of it its believing and get off to a good run of results.
most of sport is the right mindset to begin with.
Pep doesn't compromise nor does José which means we're going to see really high standards next year from both Manchester clubs.
Official manchester united app apparently.
Did we ever announce that ? It was as if united forgot he ever existed.This is like when we sold RvP but never really said anything
Interesting interview from back when he was at Shakhtar (http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/02/27/11034/)
i dont think we did anything via social media. i could be wrong. just remember randomly seeing it up on the site one day hidden far away
I wouldn't be surprised if he's the first player to complete a season before his transfer is actually confirmed.
Jose: First of all, let me say that we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the French League and with Mkhi, we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the Bundesliga. And voted not by the fans, not by the journalists – voted by the fellow players. And that is the one which means more, I believe – because whenyou’reyour fellow players are the ones that choose you, it means a lot. Mkhi is a fantastic player. And what I like more is the something that is undeniable, that is the number of goals he scores by not being a striker. His number of goals per season is really high for somebody who is not a striker. The number of assists is also very clear because it shows clearly his creativity, his vision, his concept of collective play, and is something that I believe is really important for a club like us. We’ll try to be dominant, and I’m sure we will face teams with a very defensive profile(
But, but he's signed only to.............................
Here is what Cafties idol Klopp said about Mkhi in 2015,
Needs to improve his conversion rate though.
Text Transcript of Jose Mourinho's MUTV Interview on 5th July 2016 self.reddevils
Interviewer: Jose, first of all, how hungry are you, after roughly 6 months absence from management. How hungry are you to get going?
Jose: I’m desperate. I like the work I’m doing, in the office, organizing things – I like that, I like that work. But anything has a limit, and I reach that limit. I want to be out there on the pitch and in spite of many players are not here to start the pre-season, I have a group that is waiting for me on Thursday. And they will feel my passion, they will feel that I need it. I need it to breathe.
Interviewer: Of course you were officially unveiled today. But it has essentially been 6 weeks since you were announced. Have you enjoyed that time? What has been your impression of the club, the training complex and the people you’ve me?
Jose: What I felt immediately is that the people love the club. I was previously in other clubs, and I was lucky enough to be in good clubs, in big clubs. But I wouldn’t feel that passion. To be fair, to be honest, I found even great professionals in different areas that people there were even fans of other clubs. Man United, I immediately felt that there is a huge passion for the club. You go into the training ground, you see people that love to be nice, love to be ready to show that they are ready to work for you. And they are very proud to say immediately the name and the number of years they are working in the club. And this is amazing because comes one lady, says I’m here for 23 years. Comes one guy, I’m here for 27. Comes one guy, I’m here for 18 – big connection, big emotional connection to the club and I think the clubs are made by these people. It is about the fans, it is about these humble people that work in the club and makes you feel so. If any player arrives at the training ground, they have the same feeling as I had – I think it’s an amazing situation, really.
Interviewer: Talking about players, you’ve already been busy in the transfer market. Can I ask you about a couple of them? Eric Bailly, who a lot of fans might not know a huge amount about, why don’t you just tell us about the qualities you see in him for starters?
Jose: I could compare him to other players with some players I have had previously but I don’t wanna do it because the other boys, they play for other clubs. But, he’s a player that we believe that has all the attributes – he’s very strong. He’s very strong physically. He’s very fast. And it is not so easy to find a fast player when you are quite a big body, a heavy guy, a tall guy – he’s really fast. He comes from a Spanish coach where the first building up phases are important – so technically, he’s very good. In some periods, he played as a right back and because he played as a right back, the right back position demands more by the attacking point of view, so it was good for a central defender to play some periods as a right back. And my only question mark in this moment is the question mark I have to help him to delete it which is the question mark of somebody that never played for such a big club with so many responsibilities, with so many expectations. So, is Eric ready to come here and start performing on day one – I don’t know. It is a question mark. My job is to delete the question mark as soon as possible, and to make him a player with statues and brains and personality to play for Man Utd.
Interviewer: You probably don’t have those question marks about Ibrahimovic, who we spoke to on Friday, who was really looking forward to working under you again. Are you looking forward to working with one of the greats again?
Jose: Yeah. Absolutely. And let me start by one point which is – 34 is his age. Plus 18 is Marcus Rashford’s age. (34 + 18)/ 2 is the perfect age for a football player. So, our two strikers – they are exactly in the perfect age. Because 18 is not the perfect age. 34 is not, but they are. So, I think they can be an amazing complement for each other with their qualities. A part of that – Zlatan is Zlatan. He wins year after year. His goal record is absolutely amazing. His passion for the game is incredible. It is only possible for his passion and a man of his age with his CV to make at this stage of his career to come for the biggest challenge of his career which is the biggest club he has ever played for, and the most difficult competition he has ever played for. So, he is an amazing player. I think this is a beautiful thing – when you coach a player and a few years later, you have him again. It is beautiful, it’s absoutely beautiful because it means that the relation was fantastic from the personal point of view; the professional relation was great too. So, a few years later, we are back together. And I’m so happy for that, because I know what he can bring to us.
Interviewer: Is it okay that we ask a question about Mkhitaryan, which we won’t use until its done. Is that okay? (Someone in the background says yes. Jose makes a facial expression saying ‘ask her, not me’.) The third signing, Mkhitaryan, who I’m sure many fans have seen play for Dortmund. What are you expecting to see from him here at Old Trafford?
Jose: First of all, let me say that we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the French League and with Mkhi, we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the Bundesliga. And voted not by the fans, not by the journalists – voted by the fellow players. And that is the one which means more, I believe – because when you’re fellow players are the ones that choose you, it means a lot. Mkhi is a fantastic player. And what I like more is the something that is undeniable, that is the number of goals he scores by not being a striker. His number of goals per season is really high for somebody who is not a striker. The number of assists is also very clear because it shows clearly his creativity, his vision, his concept of collective play, and is something that I believe is really important for a club like us. We’ll try to be dominant, and I’m sure we will face teams with a very defensive profile, which is his capacity of acceleration of the game. He has a change of speed, with ball and without ball, that is very very important for a club like us.
Interviewer: Jose, first of all, how hungry are you, after roughly 6 months absence from management. How hungry are you to get going?
Jose: I’m desperate. I like the work I’m doing, in the office, organizing things – I like that, I like that work. But anything has a limit, and I reach that limit. I want to be out there on the pitch and in spite of many players are not here to start the pre-season, I have a group that is waiting for me on Thursday. And they will feel my passion, they will feel that I need it. I need it to breathe.
Interviewer: Of course you were officially unveiled today. But it has essentially been 6 weeks since you were announced. Have you enjoyed that time? What has been your impression of the club, the training complex and the people you’ve me?
Jose: What I felt immediately is that the people love the club. I was previously in other clubs, and I was lucky enough to be in good clubs, in big clubs. But I wouldn’t feel that passion. To be fair, to be honest, I found even great professionals in different areas that people there were even fans of other clubs. Man United, I immediately felt that there is a huge passion for the club. You go into the training ground, you see people that love to be nice, love to be ready to show that they are ready to work for you. And they are very proud to say immediately the name and the number of years they are working in the club. And this is amazing because comes one lady, says I’m here for 23 years. Comes one guy, I’m here for 27. Comes one guy, I’m here for 18 – big connection, big emotional connection to the club and I think the clubs are made by these people. It is about the fans, it is about these humble people that work in the club and makes you feel so. If any player arrives at the training ground, they have the same feeling as I had – I think it’s an amazing situation, really.
Interviewer: Talking about players, you’ve already been busy in the transfer market. Can I ask you about a couple of them? Eric Bailly, who a lot of fans might not know a huge amount about, why don’t you just tell us about the qualities you see in him for starters?
Jose: I could compare him to other players with some players I have had previously but I don’t wanna do it because the other boys, they play for other clubs. But, he’s a player that we believe that has all the attributes – he’s very strong. He’s very strong physically. He’s very fast. And it is not so easy to find a fast player when you are quite a big body, a heavy guy, a tall guy – he’s really fast. He comes from a Spanish coach where the first building up phases are important – so technically, he’s very good. In some periods, he played as a right back and because he played as a right back, the right back position demands more by the attacking point of view, so it was good for a central defender to play some periods as a right back. And my only question mark in this moment is the question mark I have to help him to delete it which is the question mark of somebody that never played for such a big club with so many responsibilities, with so many expectations. So, is Eric ready to come here and start performing on day one – I don’t know. It is a question mark. My job is to delete the question mark as soon as possible, and to make him a player with statues and brains and personality to play for Man Utd.
Interviewer: You probably don’t have those question marks about Ibrahimovic, who we spoke to on Friday, who was really looking forward to working under you again. Are you looking forward to working with one of the greats again?
Jose: Yeah. Absolutely. And let me start by one point which is – 34 is his age. Plus 18 is Marcus Rashford’s age. (34 + 18)/ 2 is the perfect age for a football player. So, our two strikers – they are exactly in the perfect age. Because 18 is not the perfect age. 34 is not, but they are. So, I think they can be an amazing complement for each other with their qualities. A part of that – Zlatan is Zlatan. He wins year after year. His goal record is absolutely amazing. His passion for the game is incredible. It is only possible for his passion and a man of his age with his CV to make at this stage of his career to come for the biggest challenge of his career which is the biggest club he has ever played for, and the most difficult competition he has ever played for. So, he is an amazing player. I think this is a beautiful thing – when you coach a player and a few years later, you have him again. It is beautiful, it’s absoutely beautiful because it means that the relation was fantastic from the personal point of view; the professional relation was great too. So, a few years later, we are back together. And I’m so happy for that, because I know what he can bring to us.
Interviewer: Is it okay that we ask a question about Mkhitaryan, which we won’t use until its done. Is that okay? (Someone in the background says yes. Jose makes a facial expression saying ‘ask her, not me’.) The third signing, Mkhitaryan, who I’m sure many fans have seen play for Dortmund. What are you expecting to see from him here at Old Trafford?
Jose: First of all, let me say that we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the French League and with Mkhi, we brought the player that was voted the Best Player in the Bundesliga. And voted not by the fans, not by the journalists – voted by the fellow players. And that is the one which means more, I believe – because when you’re fellow players are the ones that choose you, it means a lot. Mkhi is a fantastic player. And what I like more is the something that is undeniable, that is the number of goals he scores by not being a striker. His number of goals per season is really high for somebody who is not a striker. The number of assists is also very clear because it shows clearly his creativity, his vision, his concept of collective play, and is something that I believe is really important for a club like us. We’ll try to be dominant, and I’m sure we will face teams with a very defensive profile, which is his capacity of acceleration of the game. He has a change of speed, with ball and without ball, that is very very important for a club like us.
Interviewer: Are you hoping to bring the excitement back to the club? Because you’ve been in charge of clubs. You’ve scored 100 goals in a season –
Jose: 121.
Interviewer: Even better. (Jose gives an expression “That’s right, I’m that good.”). A lot of fans that we get in touch with on TV have been disappointed with the style of play. Are you hoping that the excitement will be back at Old Trafford this season?
Jose: I hope so, I hope so. You know, again, the style of play, the players – they have a huge contribution for that. I think one of my characteristics as a manager was I adapted to what I had in mind. I am sure that even losing, I am sure that Man United fans will remember some of my teams that played here and won here. Chelsea 2004-05-06, Real Madrid, when we came here in the Champions League. I feel that is one of my triumphs is related to this – I adapt to the players that I have. I don’t defend that the manager should have ‘a’ style of play. A manager should be open to adapt and to create a style, and adapt it to the reality. And what we are trying to do is to bring the players to play with a certain style. So yes, we want to play different than the last season. Mr. van Gaal, absolutely top manager, his philosophy is very clear. My philosophy is different – it’s not better, it is different. And my football is different. I’m more vertical, I’m more intense – I like the ball possession as a way to create a chance to be vertical. I don’t like the ball possession as a way to, just to keep statistical possession of the ball, and be afraid to play a game with transitions. Transitions will always come during the game. I’m not afraid to lose the ball, I’m not afraid of risk. But I have one characteristic. For example, this Euro is proving that I am right. By the defensive point of view, in this moment, everybody is trying to defend better. The lines are much more compact. The central area is much more occupied. You give space to the opponents in the sides, not in the central area. You compact lines in a short period of space. And these are characteristics, that are in my point of view, are very very important in a team. And defending well is very very important. And in the press conference, I was saying that I hope that in the last minutes of a game, the fans will be behind us if we are chasing a result. But I also want that sometimes we are winning, we are under pressure and we have to fight to keep a result. So, a football team is everything. Every moment of the game, Every principle, every sub principle that you have to work – and I work a lot to have my team prepared for every possible situation.
Interviewer: Can I just try and ask you how important pre-season is for you? I know you’ve got China, I know you’ve got a game coming up at Wigan before that. How important is that? There are a number of fixtures in a calendar. Do you see that as important ahead of a season?
Jose: They are important, but they are not important to win. They are important for other reasons. For example, the first game against Wigan is very important because I’m going to have some players that I don’t know very well, and I’m bringing to the first team. Kids like Tyler. Kids like Axel Tuanzebe. I don’t know them well. I just trust Nicky Butt and Martha and their judgement. Obviously, I’m going to work closely with them – I have to trust them. So when they say to me that we have a few players that in a couple of years, they can be first team players, I have to work with them. I have to give them the chance to work with the first team, to know me, to feel me, to accelerate the process. Because that process will be in the academy, but I can accelerate the process so let’s go for it. It’s not important to win, but it is important to know them and to give them an opportunity to work. Then we go to China. I think it is more important for the Asian fans than for ourselves. Again, I’m taking the English boys that I did not expect to come. They are coming. I’m taking them but I’m not going to play them. So what is more important? Important is to work, is to be together, is to know each other, is to live together 24 hours everyday during a week. And, finally, when you come back from China is when the other people are waiting for us. And we are going to be together just 10-12 days before the Charity Shield, 15-17 days before the first game against Bournemouth. And this is a difficult situation, specially for a new manager. But we cannot run away from it, this is what we have. And, we have to try to do the best we can. But the reality is that you have to try to short some process. The process will take obviously weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks, and sometimes years and years. We have always a chance to improve. But I am going to try to give the team in these two weeks that we are together to try to give the team I don’t say the ‘dynamica’, because the dynamica takes time but the principles. And my principles are quite objective and I understand that for the players will be not a drama to understand them and to try to give me what I want.
Jose: 121.
Interviewer: Even better. (Jose gives an expression “That’s right, I’m that good.”). A lot of fans that we get in touch with on TV have been disappointed with the style of play. Are you hoping that the excitement will be back at Old Trafford this season?
Jose: I hope so, I hope so. You know, again, the style of play, the players – they have a huge contribution for that. I think one of my characteristics as a manager was I adapted to what I had in mind. I am sure that even losing, I am sure that Man United fans will remember some of my teams that played here and won here. Chelsea 2004-05-06, Real Madrid, when we came here in the Champions League. I feel that is one of my triumphs is related to this – I adapt to the players that I have. I don’t defend that the manager should have ‘a’ style of play. A manager should be open to adapt and to create a style, and adapt it to the reality. And what we are trying to do is to bring the players to play with a certain style. So yes, we want to play different than the last season. Mr. van Gaal, absolutely top manager, his philosophy is very clear. My philosophy is different – it’s not better, it is different. And my football is different. I’m more vertical, I’m more intense – I like the ball possession as a way to create a chance to be vertical. I don’t like the ball possession as a way to, just to keep statistical possession of the ball, and be afraid to play a game with transitions. Transitions will always come during the game. I’m not afraid to lose the ball, I’m not afraid of risk. But I have one characteristic. For example, this Euro is proving that I am right. By the defensive point of view, in this moment, everybody is trying to defend better. The lines are much more compact. The central area is much more occupied. You give space to the opponents in the sides, not in the central area. You compact lines in a short period of space. And these are characteristics, that are in my point of view, are very very important in a team. And defending well is very very important. And in the press conference, I was saying that I hope that in the last minutes of a game, the fans will be behind us if we are chasing a result. But I also want that sometimes we are winning, we are under pressure and we have to fight to keep a result. So, a football team is everything. Every moment of the game, Every principle, every sub principle that you have to work – and I work a lot to have my team prepared for every possible situation.
Interviewer: Can I just try and ask you how important pre-season is for you? I know you’ve got China, I know you’ve got a game coming up at Wigan before that. How important is that? There are a number of fixtures in a calendar. Do you see that as important ahead of a season?
Jose: They are important, but they are not important to win. They are important for other reasons. For example, the first game against Wigan is very important because I’m going to have some players that I don’t know very well, and I’m bringing to the first team. Kids like Tyler. Kids like Axel Tuanzebe. I don’t know them well. I just trust Nicky Butt and Martha and their judgement. Obviously, I’m going to work closely with them – I have to trust them. So when they say to me that we have a few players that in a couple of years, they can be first team players, I have to work with them. I have to give them the chance to work with the first team, to know me, to feel me, to accelerate the process. Because that process will be in the academy, but I can accelerate the process so let’s go for it. It’s not important to win, but it is important to know them and to give them an opportunity to work. Then we go to China. I think it is more important for the Asian fans than for ourselves. Again, I’m taking the English boys that I did not expect to come. They are coming. I’m taking them but I’m not going to play them. So what is more important? Important is to work, is to be together, is to know each other, is to live together 24 hours everyday during a week. And, finally, when you come back from China is when the other people are waiting for us. And we are going to be together just 10-12 days before the Charity Shield, 15-17 days before the first game against Bournemouth. And this is a difficult situation, specially for a new manager. But we cannot run away from it, this is what we have. And, we have to try to do the best we can. But the reality is that you have to try to short some process. The process will take obviously weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks, and sometimes years and years. We have always a chance to improve. But I am going to try to give the team in these two weeks that we are together to try to give the team I don’t say the ‘dynamica’, because the dynamica takes time but the principles. And my principles are quite objective and I understand that for the players will be not a drama to understand them and to try to give me what I want.
How Manchester United-bound Henrikh Mkhitaryan compares to the Premier League’s best playmakers
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on his way to join the Jose Mourinho revolution at Manchester United after Borussia Dortmund confirmed his exit.
With Juan Mata looking likely to be discarded by Mourinho once again, as reported by The Telegraph, Mkhitaryan will take up the mantle of chief creative force at United.
He is undoubtedly an excellent player, full of guile and intelligence, but how does he compare to the league’s best?
The Premier League’s established hierarchy have spent hundreds of millions to bring in the world’s best. Can Mkhitaryan find his feet immediately and reach the level Mourinho will no doubt demand?
Although all of these players are ostensibly creative midfielders, each has different attributes and plays in a different way. Some start from a wide position, others centrally. Some rely on their pace and dribbling ability; others their eye for a pass.
No matter the way they do it, what is most desired from creative midfielder is their creativity – i.e how many chances they create and assists they provide. In this sense Mkhitaryan, with 82 chances created in 31 Bundesliga games last season, comes somewhere in the middle, belowMesut Ozil and Christian Eriksen but above Eden Hazard and Philippe Coutinho.
Mkhitaryan played in a Dortmund side last season that scored 82 goals – 11 more than the next nearest Premier League side Manchester City managed. As the chief creative source for a well-oiled machine, Mkhitaryan can be expected to record impressive statistics. His 15 assists from 82 chances suggests excellent finishing from team mates like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, when compared to Ozil, who created a whopping 144 for 19 assists.
The Armenian was certainly the fulcrum of Thomas Tuchel’s side going forward, creating almost double the amount of chances than the next nearest, Marco Reus on 44. No player in the Bundesliga laid on more goals last season than Mkhitaryan. Put at the centre of Mourinho’s reshaped United side there is certainly reason to suggest he can have a similar influence in the Premier League.
Mkhitaryan sits right in the middle of the Venn diagram between dribblers and passers.
At first glance he appears closer in style to Eriksen or Ozil, drifting around in the pocket of space in front of the defence to find space, before looking for a killer pass or to unleash a shot. This is reflected in a number of statistics. Firstly, his pass accuracy of 75% was the third lowest of any outfield Dortmund player last season, ahead of only Aubameyang and striker Adrian Ramos. It would be erroneous to attribute this to poor technique. Instead it shows he is attempting more difficult passes with his probing style.
However, his 136 attempted dribbles last season also shows he is not tied completely to one attribute – he is adaptable. Although Hazard endured a poor year in the Premier League, he is still the premier dribbler in the English top flight, yet he only attempted eight more than the Armenian.
Strikingly, the 27-year-old stands head and shoulders above both Ozil and Eriksen in take-ons, goals scored and overall attack score last season. United managed just 49 goals last season – their lowest total since 1989/90 – so Mkhitaryan chipping in from midfield behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic certainly won’t hurt. He scored 11 goals in the league last season – his best return for Dortmund – and appears to be hitting his prime.
Mourinho has chosen to build his new side around Mkhitaryan for a very good reason. He would not sign someone who didn’t fit his team blueprint. Mourinho players need to be part of the bigger picture; capable of every aspect, willing to track back and contribute defensively, as well as light up the stadium offensively. Tuchel has coached him in exactly this way and only Eriksen, operating under Mauricio Pochettino’s demanding system, matches his output going the other way.
The Squawka Performance Score is a good way to see the total output of a player over the season. For last season, here, Mkhitaryan ranks below only Ozil, who by all accounts had an outstanding campaign for Arsenal.
The Armenian is an intelligent and well-rounded attacking midfielder who appears to be joining at the peak of his powers. The Premier League undoubtedly has some of the world’s best creators, but the statistics suggest Mkhitaryan has the potential to more than match them.
From Squawka: http://www.squawka.com/news/how-man...to-the-premier-leagues-best-playmakers/716123
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on his way to join the Jose Mourinho revolution at Manchester United after Borussia Dortmund confirmed his exit.
With Juan Mata looking likely to be discarded by Mourinho once again, as reported by The Telegraph, Mkhitaryan will take up the mantle of chief creative force at United.
He is undoubtedly an excellent player, full of guile and intelligence, but how does he compare to the league’s best?
The Premier League’s established hierarchy have spent hundreds of millions to bring in the world’s best. Can Mkhitaryan find his feet immediately and reach the level Mourinho will no doubt demand?
Although all of these players are ostensibly creative midfielders, each has different attributes and plays in a different way. Some start from a wide position, others centrally. Some rely on their pace and dribbling ability; others their eye for a pass.
No matter the way they do it, what is most desired from creative midfielder is their creativity – i.e how many chances they create and assists they provide. In this sense Mkhitaryan, with 82 chances created in 31 Bundesliga games last season, comes somewhere in the middle, belowMesut Ozil and Christian Eriksen but above Eden Hazard and Philippe Coutinho.
Mkhitaryan played in a Dortmund side last season that scored 82 goals – 11 more than the next nearest Premier League side Manchester City managed. As the chief creative source for a well-oiled machine, Mkhitaryan can be expected to record impressive statistics. His 15 assists from 82 chances suggests excellent finishing from team mates like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, when compared to Ozil, who created a whopping 144 for 19 assists.
The Armenian was certainly the fulcrum of Thomas Tuchel’s side going forward, creating almost double the amount of chances than the next nearest, Marco Reus on 44. No player in the Bundesliga laid on more goals last season than Mkhitaryan. Put at the centre of Mourinho’s reshaped United side there is certainly reason to suggest he can have a similar influence in the Premier League.
Mkhitaryan sits right in the middle of the Venn diagram between dribblers and passers.
At first glance he appears closer in style to Eriksen or Ozil, drifting around in the pocket of space in front of the defence to find space, before looking for a killer pass or to unleash a shot. This is reflected in a number of statistics. Firstly, his pass accuracy of 75% was the third lowest of any outfield Dortmund player last season, ahead of only Aubameyang and striker Adrian Ramos. It would be erroneous to attribute this to poor technique. Instead it shows he is attempting more difficult passes with his probing style.
However, his 136 attempted dribbles last season also shows he is not tied completely to one attribute – he is adaptable. Although Hazard endured a poor year in the Premier League, he is still the premier dribbler in the English top flight, yet he only attempted eight more than the Armenian.
Strikingly, the 27-year-old stands head and shoulders above both Ozil and Eriksen in take-ons, goals scored and overall attack score last season. United managed just 49 goals last season – their lowest total since 1989/90 – so Mkhitaryan chipping in from midfield behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic certainly won’t hurt. He scored 11 goals in the league last season – his best return for Dortmund – and appears to be hitting his prime.
Mourinho has chosen to build his new side around Mkhitaryan for a very good reason. He would not sign someone who didn’t fit his team blueprint. Mourinho players need to be part of the bigger picture; capable of every aspect, willing to track back and contribute defensively, as well as light up the stadium offensively. Tuchel has coached him in exactly this way and only Eriksen, operating under Mauricio Pochettino’s demanding system, matches his output going the other way.
The Squawka Performance Score is a good way to see the total output of a player over the season. For last season, here, Mkhitaryan ranks below only Ozil, who by all accounts had an outstanding campaign for Arsenal.
The Armenian is an intelligent and well-rounded attacking midfielder who appears to be joining at the peak of his powers. The Premier League undoubtedly has some of the world’s best creators, but the statistics suggest Mkhitaryan has the potential to more than match them.
From Squawka: http://www.squawka.com/news/how-man...to-the-premier-leagues-best-playmakers/716123
Ah, fair enough. Presumably they'll officially unveil him tomorrow then.
But can't find the dotted line on a piece of A4.
Any idea how to get it? Can't find on Apple store.
His transition from defense to attack will be so crucial for us. We didn't have a player like that for last season which contributed largely to our shite style of play.
As you might expect with United and their super duper ability on internet-related matters, they don’t have an app for iPhone. Think they only have one for Samsung users.
He did, spoke about Mkhitaryan in detail. Said we have signed best players from the French league and Bundesliga respectively, went on to say he respects fellow players voting for the best player and Zlatan and Mkhitaryan have been voted player's player of the league .
Official announcement gotta be today... I know he is definitely ours but still want to see him in that red shirt... Come on United, announce it.
Good reads, @Fergies Formula & @George Beast. Thanks.
Another medical?! :P
For once Di Marzio seems to have been wrong
They do have an app for iPhone
yep got to admit the 8th Place Trophy was a sore loss for us and having to settle for the FA cup.
Guy on the left.Stupid question but which one is mkhitariyan ?
The guy in the background on the left corner of the picture.. That's him.Stupid question but which one is mkhitariyan ?
The one wearing black.Stupid question but which one is mkhitariyan ?
Plot twist - some complications in the Mkhitaryan deal but Pogba is wrapped up.
Maybe just did the first part of his medical on Monday.
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