Jose Mourinho’s brutal Man Utd transfer tactic in massive Arsenal move
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has opened up about his explosive relationship with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, which ultimately led to the Armenian joining Arsenal in 2018.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan endured a toxic relationship with José Mourinho during his time at Manchester United, with their bitter feud eventually forcing the midfielder’s exit to Arsenal.
The Armenian arrived at Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 and although Mourinho initially wanted him at the club, Mkhitaryan’s disappointing performances sparked an explosive row between the pair. During his debut campaign, he scored 11 goals in 41 appearances.
Their bond quickly fell apart, with Mourinho making it clear he wanted the midfielder out of his team. The “Special One” even admitted his eagerness to bring in Alexis Sanchez to replace Mkhitaryan.
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In his new autobiography ‘My Life Still at the Center’, Mkhitaryan revealed: “I told him that you have been criticizing me for a year and a half now, since I arrived at Manchester United. Mourinho told me I was a ‘s***’ and I just lost my cool.
“‘You’re the shit. A huge piece of shit.’ Mou replied, “Get out of here, I never want to see you again.”
“During training, the coach didn’t say anything to me, he remained in religious silence, but every evening he sent me a message via WhatsApp. ‘Miki, please leave.’
“The situation had become grotesque. I responded each time with the same copy and paste. ‘I will leave if I find the right team, otherwise I will wait until the summer.’
“Around mid-January, the text changed slightly. ‘Miki, please leave, so I can have Alexis Sanchez.’
“Mino Raiola was working on this exchange with Arsenal. So my answer changed too. ‘I’m not leaving just to do you a favor, and please stop writing to me. If you want, talk to Mino.’ And everyone lived happily ever after.”
In January 2018, Mkhitaryan transferred 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 crucial role in their run to the 2019 Europa League final.
However, he later reunited with Mourinho at AS Roma, where the duo enjoyed some success together.
During the 2021/22 campaign, Mkhitaryan made 44 appearances in all competitions for Rome under Mourinho and won the Europa Conference League trophy.