Life in Manchester hasn't been plain sailing for summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan so far, having only featured in a small number of matches. But it has now been revealed that there were questionsover his abilities to cope in England previously.
The Independentreport that previous manager Louis van Gaal's backroom stuff had cast doubts over thepotentialsigning, believing that theArmenian international doesn't have theabilityto cope with the physical demands of the Premier League.
This comes after theformerBorussia Dortmund player was left out of the team for the clash with Chelsea attheweekend, promptingmanyto question just why he hasn't featured since his return from injury.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Borussia Dortmund last season:
Games: 51
Goals: 23
Assists: 20
Yet to play a full 90 minutes at Manchester United.
Mkhitaryan isthe second player the Red Devils havesigned from Dortmund in recent years. Previous signingShinji Kagawa failed to impress in the English league, despite being the standout player in the Germanleague prior to his move.
Former bossVan Gaal wasn't impressed with the Japaneseinternational, shipping him back to Dortmund soon after taking over as manager, and those doubts were placed upon Mkhitaryanalso.
The 27-year-old last featured for the Manchester side during their 2-1 league defeat to rivals Manchester City.
Why isn't Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the United squad? Probably the one player United fans want to see play more than any one else #MUFC #UEL
It is believed thatMourinhohas opted to leave him out of the team to givehim time to adjust tothephysicality of playing in England.
Fans however, will be hoping thatMkhitaryanadjuststo life in the Premier League, recapturing the form that saw him named theBundesliga Players' Player of the Season2015“16.