Jose Mourinho’s recruitment drive continued last week with the capture of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a reported £30 million.
The Armenian international put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option of another year, and is the third major signing of the transfer window following the additions of Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Mourinho heaped praise on the 27-year-old and explained what the new boy will bring to United’s attack:
“Micki is a fantastic player. His number of goals per season is really high for somebody that 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 – something that I believe is really important for a club like us that will try to be dominant and will face for sure teams with a very defensive profile – is his capacity of acceleration of the game. He has a change of speed with the ball and without the ball that is very, very important for a club like us.”
The History
The son of former professional footballer Hamlet Mkhitaryan, United’s new boy was born in the Armenian capital Yerevan, and played the majority of his youth career at FC Pyunik, having lived in France for part of his childhood when his father played for the now defunct ASOA Valence. After his father tragically died when he was just seven from a brain tumour, the family moved back to Yerevan.
Mkhitaryan made his professional debut for FC Pyunik in 2006 at the age of 17, and made 70 appearances for the club in total, scoring 30 goals. He then spent the 2009/10 season with Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk, and registered nine goals and six assists in 29 league matches.
His performances caught the eye of city rivals Shakhtar Donetsk and Mkhitaryan sealed a $7.5 million in August 2010. In three seasons for the Ukrainian giants, the midfielder scored 44 goals and provided 23 assists in 106 appearances in all competitions, and helped the club to three successive league and cup doubles.
In July 2013, Mkhitaryan completed a £23.6 million move to German side Borussia Dortmund, making him the club’s record signing. In his three seasons with the club, he totalled 41 goals and 49 assists in 140 matches in all competitions, and was part of a side that twice finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga.
Having represented his country at Under 17, 19 and 21 levels, scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances, Mkhitaryan made his senior debut against Panama in January 2007. He currently has 59 international caps to his name, scoring 19 goals.
The Prospects
With Mourinho recently outlining his plans to use Wayne Rooney primarily as a number ten, it appears Mkhitaryan could occupy a position on the right of the three attacking midfield slots in the former Chelsea manager’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, with Anthony Martial stationed on the opposite flank.
The Armenian is capable of playing across all three attacking midfield positions though, with that versatility likely to be explored throughout the course of the campaign. It’s interesting to note he bagged five goals and six assists from nine appearances playing on the right for Dortmund last season, further suggesting that could be the position in which Mourinho sees him benefitting the team most.
Certainly, the likes of Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard appear set to be little more than second-choice options, then, while Marcus Rashford may have to be patient for opportunities as either a back-up to Ibrahimovic as the lone striker or in either wide role. Juan Mata looks likely to be the main casualty, with the Spaniard set to be shown the door, with Everton a possible landing spot for the former Chelsea man.
Delving into Mkhitaryan’s underlying statistics from last season, when he scored 11 goals and registered 15 assists in 31 league appearances, he impressively managed a shot every 31.8 minutes – superior to both Rooney (35.1) and Martial (48.6). The Armenian also led the way for key passes among the trio, averaging one every 31.1 minutes, compared to every 56 minutes for Rooney and every 71.1 minutes for Martial.
In terms of the qualities Mkhitaryan will bring to the United side, it’s fair to say the 27-year-old is a very well-rounded player, with the ability to slide passes through the tightest of defences, while he is also a capable dribbler and is adept at arriving late into the penalty area to find the back of the net. Perhaps his biggest challenge will be to settle in Manchester off the pitch, which was something that Angel di Maria couldn’t manage to do during his time in England.
Given Mkhitaryan’s proven track record of managing to both score and create goals, he’ll certainly be handed a premium price tag in FPL, perhaps of around 10.0. Should Rooney and Martial both remain listed as forwards, it may be much easier for Fantasy managers to find a place for the Armenian in their five-man midfields, potentially making him the primary option from the United attack.
There will clearly be much attention on United through pre-season given the arrival of Mourinho and high-profile signings such as Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan, and should there be even the slightest signs of a much improved attacking unit under the new boss, expect FPL bosses to be lining up at least one United attacker given their favourable start (bou, SOT, HUL, mci, WAT) to the new campaign.
High expectations will certainly be something Mkhitaryan has to deal with, but given the quality that will surround the Armenian at Old Trafford in the form of Ibrahimovic, Martial and Rooney, there looks to be every chance he can flourish at the Theatre of Dreams. United have lacked a quality playmaker for several years, but their latest signing looks to have all the attributes to put himself alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mesut Ozil as one of the top creative midfielders in the Premier League.
