The latest Manchester United news as Henrikh Mkhitaryan has detailed his turbulent relationship with former Reds boss Jose Mourinho in a new book
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan during his time at Man United(Image: PA)
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Henrikh Mkhitaryan had a damaging relationship with Jose Mourinho during his time at Manchester United, and their falling out eventually led Mkhitaryan to join Arsenal.
The Armenian arrived at Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, and even though Mourinho wanted him at the club, Mkhitaryan's underwhelming stint led to an explosive argument. In his first season, he scored 11 goals in 41 games.
Their relationship quickly deteriorated, leading Mourinho to make it clear that he wanted the midfielder to leave. The 'Special One' even revealed his desire to bring in Alexis Sanchez as his replacement.
Writing in his new book 'My Life Always at the Centre', Mkhitaryan disclosed: "I told him, you've been criticising me for a year-and-a-half now, ever since I arrived at Manchester United.
"Mourinho told me I was 's***' and I just lost my temper. 'You are the s***. An enormous one.' Mou replied: 'Get out of here, I never want to see you again.'
"During the training sessions, the coach said nothing to me, he remained at a religious level of silence, but every evening he'd send me a message via WhatsApp. 'Miki, leave, please.'
"The situation had become grotesque. I'd reply every time with the same copy and paste response. I will leave if I find the right team, otherwise I'll wait for the summer. Towards the middle of January, the text changed slightly. 'Miki, please leave, that way I can get Alexis Sanchez.'
He added: "Mino Raiola was working on this exchange with Arsenal. So my response mutated too. 'I am not leaving just to do you a favour, and please stop writing to me. If you want, talk to Mino.' And everyone lived happily ever after."
In January 2018, Mkhitaryan moved to Arsenal in a swap deal involving Sanchez and enjoyed a more successful spell in north London. He went on to score nine goals in 58 appearances for the Gunners, playing a key role in their run to the 2019 Europa League final.
But he was later reunited with Mourinho at AS Roma, where the pair enjoyed some success together.
During the 2021/22 season, Mkhitaryan featured in 44 games across all competitions at Roma under Mourinho's management, and lifted the Europa Conference League trophy.
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