HENRIKH MKHITARYAN IS on the verge of becoming Jose Mourinho’s third signing as the manager of Manchester United, following Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.
Although the deal has yet to be confirmed by Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund announced on Saturday that they have accepted a ‘tremendous fee’ for the attacking midfielder, with only the formalities of the reported £30 million transfer left to be completed.
Mkhitaryan’s name will be familiar to many, but not too much may be known about the creative midfielder by people who are not regular watchers of the Bundesliga.
The Armenia captain, who was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season at the end of the last campaign, has already won seven league titles in his career, while averaging a goal every three games.
The 27-year-old, who is the son of one of his country’s best-ever footballers, Hamlet Mkhitaryan, may have first come to the attention to Irish fans during the qualification campaign for Euro 2012.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland won both encounters against the Armenians, but Mkhitaryan did score for his side in the 2-1 loss at the Aviva Stadium.
Mkhitaryan, who can operate on either wing or behind the main striker, made his debut for his national side nearly 10 years ago, and has gone on to make 59 appearances, contributing 19 goals from midfield, making him Armenia’s all-time record goalscorer.
When he made his debut for Armenia he was playing for Yerevan-based club, Pyunik, with who he won three league titles in three years.
As his side were on the way to claiming a fourth league title, Mkhitaryan moved to Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk after impressing with 30 goals in 70 league matches for Pyunik.
After scoring nine goals in 29 games in his only full season with Metalurh, Mkhitaryan was on the move again after catching the eye of Metalurh’s city rivals Shakhtar.
Despite just being named captain of Metalurh, the offer from Shakhtar was too enticing for the six-time Armenian Footballer of the Year to turn down.
His performances with Shakhtar elevated Mkhitaryan to a new level, with his scoring record improving to better than a goal every other game.
He completed the league and cup double in each of his three seasons with Shakhtar, scoring 38 league goals in just 72 appearances.
Remarkably 25 of those came from 29 appearances in his final season with the club, not to mention his 10 assists. And that remarkable goalscoring return had put him on Jurgen Klopp’s radar at Borussia Dortmund.
Shakhtar weren’t prepared to let go of their star player without a fight though, and they forced Borussia Dortmund to make a club-record transfer of approximately £24 million to get their man.
The goals weren’t as free-flowing in Germany’s top flight for Mkhitaryan as they were in the Ukraine, but the Armenian was improving his all-round game.
He was forced to work harder under Klopp than he did with his previous clubs, but his key attributes such as his technique, vision and overall game-management vastly improved.
Having said this, Mkhitaryan still managed a credible 23 league goals in his three seasons with Dortmund, as he became more of a provider for others in the team – his 15 league assists last season, the most in the league last season illustrating this point.
Under new manager Thomas Tuchel last season, Mkhitaryan split his time between operating on the right and left flanks, as his partnership with in-demand striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved to be one of the most devastating across Europe.
United fans can expect a playmaker with an end product, something which has been lacking at Old Trafford in recent seasons, and his link up with Ibrahimovic could prove the most tantalizing in the Premier League, but perhaps most importantly for Mourinho – he shares a winning mentality.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!