The season thus far, might not have gone as per plan for him and his club but Armenian superstar Henrikh Mkhitaryan believes that Manchester United remain genuine contenders for a top 4 finish in the Premier League.
The Jose Mourinho-led side has begun the season on a poor note and currently sit 9 points adrift of the coveted 4th spot in the League and are currently enduring their worst ever start to a league season since 1989.
Speaking ahead of his side’s Europa League game against Zorya Luhansk, the former Borussia Dortmund superstar said, “We haven’t given up in the Premier League yet. So we’re not saying we are out of the competition. We’re still in the competition and there are a lot of games to play, so we’re trying to do our best to be in the top four. And, of course, in the Europa League we’re going to try and go as far as we can.”
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“Everyone is feeling good – we’ve come here to win. It’s always a pleasure to be here in Ukraine. I have very good memories of playing here,” said the former Borussia Dortmund.
The Armenian attacker spoke fondly about Ukraine and his experience of playing in the country with Ukrainian clubs Metalurh Donetsk and Shakhtar Donetsk,“I had four amazing years playing in Ukraine and I can say in my last game in Odessa was a very good one because I scored my first hat-trick ever for Shakhtar so I can say that I am pleased to be here again.”
Europa League important competition for Manchester United, says Jose Mourinho
Given their current league position, the Europa League remains an option via which Manchester United could qualify for the UEFA Champions League last season and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho echoed Mkhitaryan’s sentiments citing that the Europa League is a priority for the club and they would like to progress as far as they can.
“We go in the same direction. We assumed from the beginning that it was an important competition for us, but difficult because we play Thursdays and then Sundays,” said the Portuguese manager.
He then went on to add, “We're never given a Monday match to have one more day to rest and prepare. It’s a difficult competition to play, with the rest of the competitions, but we want to try to win it. While we are in the competition, we will try to win it. We want to go to the knockout stage and go as far as possible, step by step.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager reiterated the importance of the Europa League to his side, “The first step is a difficult one, to qualify from a very difficult group. The most important competition is always the next match. Today I’m saying the most important competition is the Europa League, and after the match here it will be the Premier League.”
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After being left out of numerous match-day squads, Mkhitaryan is finally finding extended playing time as the injuries and form of numerous superstars has put the manager under duress and forced his hand into bringing back the sidelined players. The 27-year-old has impressed with his performances after returning to the first team and has expressed his keenness to hold on dearly to the opportunities being handed to him.
While opposition fans might laugh at the claim made by the Armenian, the Premier League has time and again showcased that teams that go on a winning run can turn the table upside down and with Manchester United getting better with every match day, the subtle warning made by the 27-year-old cannot go unnoticed.
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