Manchester United’s Armenian midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that his time at Dortmund descended into a disaster under his previous manager Jurgen Klopp. The Armenian international arrived at Old Trafford in the summer after 23 goals and 32 assists in 52 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
But to the disappointment of many United fans and himself, The 27-year-old failed to replicate the spectacular form he displayed with the German club. Mkhitaryan has so far made just nine appearances for the Red Devils throughout all competitions this season and was out for most of the time with injuries.
Jose Mourinho had brought the Armenian hoping to strengthen his midfield and to partner him alongside £89-million man Paul Pogba, but such has been Mourinho’s luck that even the French midfielder is struggling to find his feet in the Premier League.
But this is not the first time Mkhitaryan has faced such kind of trauma in his playing career; the Armenian had been through a similar phase in his second season at Dortmund under Jürgen Klopp when the German ended finishing seventh in the League. Europe’s best playmaker last season has now opened up about the ‘disaster’ of a season he had under current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
"I moved to Germany, and not only was it another new language, but also the culture and the atmosphere was very different than what I was used to" he wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
"It was a very hard period for me. The first season was OK, but the second season was a disaster, not only for me but also for the club. We were losing so much, and I felt like I was having no luck."
"Not only was I not scoring, but I was not assisting, which is very unlike me. I had been signed for a lot of money, and I put a lot of pressure on myself."
The 27-year-old also revealed about the sleepless nights he had in Dortmund due to the pressure mounting on him and that he had isolated himself over his situation until his new manager, Thomas Tuchel arrived.
"I had many hard nights in my apartment in Dortmund, all alone, just thinking and thinking. I didn’t want to go outside, even to have dinner."
"But, as I said, fate can be interesting. A new manager, Thomas Tuchel, came to Dortmund before my third season, and he changed everything for me."
The Manchester United midfielder described how Tuchel gave him the confidence and motivation that he required and how that resulted in the resurrection of his form that season.
He came to me and said, “Listen, I want to get everything out of you. I was kind of smiling and laughing because I thought he was just trying to make me feel better. I was doubting his words."
"But he looked at me very seriously, and said, ‘Micki, you are going to be great.’ That meant everything to me. After the season I had, I didn’t think I could be a star. But he did it."
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is slowly making his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans with an impressive performance in the 4-1 win against West Ham United in the EFL Cup earlier this week and will be looking to repeat the same as the Red Devils face Everton on the weekend.
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