Manchester United should worry about Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Manchester United can’t be happy with Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Manchester United fans celebrated when their club won the transfer race to acquire Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The former Dortmund star was expected to come right in and energize Jose Mourinho’s midfield. Unfortunately, he’s struggled mightily in his first five matches with the Premier League giants.
Perhaps those expectations were unfair, but that’s the football world we live in. Mkhitaryan’s struggles today against Manchester City have only highlighted his poor play. Understandably, United fans are starting to become concerned about the Armenian star’s ability to thrive in the Premier League.
Through his first five matches for United, he’s registered a very mediocre Whoscored.com player rating average of just 6.40. That certainly isn’t the mark of a world-class attacking midfielder. Frankly, it’s the mark of a below-average Premier League attacker.
If I were a United fan, it wouldn’t be the statistics that really concerned me though. Instead, it’d be the body language that Mkhitaryan carries with him on the pitch. He hasn’t looked the part of a dangerous attacker. He seems thoroughly overwhelmed by the limelight of England’s top-flight.
The thing is, Mkhitaryan really shouldn’t be awed by the spectacle of Premier League football. He thrived in the Bundesliga for Dortmund. It’s not as if fan pressure doesn’t exist in Germany. Sure, life in England is different, but it isn’t as if he just made the switch from MLS.
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We’re talking about a player who’s excelled in Champions League football as well. There’s no rational reason for him to be overwhelmed by the occasion of the Manchester Derby or any other aspect of the attention paid to Manchester United.
That begs the question: what is wrong with Mkhitaryan? Optimistic United fans will explain his troubles away as just the reality of needing time to adjust to his new teammates. Suffice it to say, I’m not that optimistic.
I think there might just be too many big personalities at United for Mkhitaryan to really flourish. There isn’t enough room on the field, or in the dressing room for the likes of Ibrahimovic, Rooney, Pogba and the Armenian star. It’s quite possible he’s more comfortable being a big fish in a slight smaller pond.
It’s too early for Manchester United to give up on Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He’s shown too much ability throughout his career to write off after five games. United do, however, need to acknowledge that something’s wrong. They’d be well advised to identify, and fix the problem now before his struggles go too far.
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