Mkhitaryan, Mourinho history
At Manchester United Henrikh Mkhitaryan found life difficult under manager Jose Mourinho.
During the Portuguese’s tenure he eventually left the club and was used in a swap deal with Arsenal which saw Alexis Sanchez move in the other direction.
Last year the Armenian opened up about some of the struggles he had with the Portuguese coach.
‘Once Mourinho saw me at breakfast and said to me: ‘Because of you, the press criticises me, he said to Forza Roma.
‘I replied: Really ,mister? I'm not doing it on purpose'.
‘Back in Manchester United there were paparazzi three days a week. They filmed you as you got in the car, how you were dressed.
‘Once you arrived at the sports centre they were already there. Every step was controlled.’
Mkhitaryan was asked if Mourinho was difficult to play under and wasn’t coy in his response.
‘Yes, I could say yes,’ he said.
‘He's a winner by nature. He wants you to win and you do what he asks you.
‘It's difficult for anyone. There have been differences and conflicts, but they have not had a strong impact on good work and the three trophies won.’
A change of heart
Now reunited in Rome, Mourinho and Mkhitaryan will work together at Roma to help progress the club. Since joining Serie A, Mkhitaryan has excelled and been one of the best players for the team under Paulo Fonseca.
Yet reservations about how he and Mourinho would interact again were of course present.
He has now however spoken about the prospect of working together, even revealing that Mourinho does not indeed care how his style of play is looked at by others.
‘Mourinho is very ambitious, he always wants to win. He doesn't care if we play good or bad football, it's all about the three points,’ said Mkhitaryan.
‘Everyone knows he has won almost everything there is to win.
‘I don't want to talk about the past, we discussed it together and started from scratch on a different level. I know what he asks of his players and I am ready to give my all.’
Mourinho will be hoping the Armenian will aid in their target of reaching the top 4 and bringing Roma back into the Champions League.