Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Wenger understands players better than Mourinho

Published on: 10 February 2018

Arsene Wenger believes new signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have brought new life to Arsenal. The FC crew preview the pivotal derby between Arsenal and Tottenham, and examine the potential impact of Arsenal's new signings. ESPN FC's Brian McBride compares and contrasts the strengths of new Arsenal signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with those of Alexandre Lacazette.

Arsene Wenger is more sympathetic to players than Jose Mourinho, according to Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who characterised the Manchester United boss as being "very hard" on his team.

Mkhitaryan swapped the Red Devils for the Gunners last month, in a move that saw Chile international Alexis Sanchez head in the opposite direction.

The former Borussia Dortmund star has made a splash in his brief spell with Wenger's men, and spoke about the differences between the Frenchman and the Portuguese ahead of Arsenal's weekend derby against Tottenham.

"Mourinho required a lot from the players," Mkhitaryan told SFR Sport on Friday. "A lot, he was very hard.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has had an instant impact since joining Arsenal in January.

"Arsene Wenger is friendlier, he understands, can think about players' situations, is calmer. That's the difference."

Signed for around £37 million in the summer of 2016, Mkhitaryan helped United to three trophies during his time at Old Trafford, which included scoring a goal in the Europa League final triumph over Ajax last spring.

After a hot start, he lost his place in the starting XI toward the middle of the current campaign. But the Armenia international is proud of his body of work at the club.

"I think I left an impression in Manchester, although I had difficulties," he added.

"We won three trophies in a year and a half, it's not every club that does that.

"We won the Europa League final, I scored a goal. If people say that I have not had enough success it is their opinion, but I can say that I had a lot of success at the club."

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

Source: espn.co.uk

Comments