Armenian International Henrikh Mkhitaryan says he’s to blame for failing to feature for Manchester United so far this season rather than manager Jose Mourinho. Having joined the Red Devils in the summer, Mkhitaryan made his first appearance for the club only last week after initially making debut against Manchester City all the way back in September.
Manchester United and Jose Mourinho often defended his absence from the first-team with an injury. But the £26.3 million summer signing says he needed time to get into the side after realising the kind of competition he had to deal with.
"There was no bad relation with him (Mourinho), it was always good but the problem wasn't him, it was me," he told Sky Sports.
"Now I understand why I have got my chance and I will keep it, I will hold it because it is very important for me to play, to be a part of Manchester United.
"I was thinking that I would be here as a starting line-up player but when I arrived I saw that there were 25 players fighting for their place and I understood that it wasn't going to be easy.
"I had a bad game against Manchester City (In September) but that is in the past so I kept working. I have done a great job to get my chance back and I think I did it a really long way until I start playing."
Mkhitaryan has since impressed since rejoining the first-team squad. His performance against West Ham United in the English Football League Cup – where he recorded two assists – was a testament to the kind of talent he packs – and the kind of talent Manchester United have missed in the centre of the park.
But given what he's been though, Mkhitaryan is cautious with how his career at Old Trafford is going and hopes to continue to be a part of the first team squad for the rest of the season. "I hope so because it is really very important to play in every game, doing your best, because if you are not going to do your best then you are not going to play in the next game,” he added.
"The manager has a lot of choice, he has five or six players in that position but I know that playing now I know what I have done bad in the past and what good I can do in the future. So I know how I can help the team and I will be doing my best."
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