It is fair to say that Henrikh Mkhitaryan's first Premier League start for Manchester United did not go well. Deployed on the right flank for the visit of Manchester City to Old Trafford last September, the Armenia international was hauled off at half-time after a disappointing first 45 minutes, with Jose Mourinho later suggesting that the “dimension of the game… the focus of attention” was too much for some of his players to handle.
Mkhitaryan then virtually disappeared off the radar for a couple of months: his next appearance for the Red Devils was not until 3 November, when he was afforded a 29-minute cameo in a Europa League loss to Fenerbahce. As time went on, though, the former Borussia Dortmund man played his way back into Mourinho’s good books.
"Some players have the profile of adapting easily, but some other players need more time to feel the intensity," the Portuguese had explained in October. "Some players need time to feel the competitiveness and the level of work without the ball. Mkhi needs time to become the top player we know he can be."
The 28-year-old is now showing exactly how talented he is. United have been in impressive form at the start of the Premier League season, thrashing both West Ham and Swansea by four goals to nil, and Mkhitaryan has arguably been their standout performer. The summer signing of Nemanja Matic was widely discussed in terms of the positive impact a natural holding midfielder would have on Paul Pogba, but the Armenian has also been unleashed in Mourinho’s attack-minded system. A return of four assists and nine key passes in two games tells its own story.
"The City game last year was a hard game and I didn't play my best game," Mkhitaryan admitted in an interview with ESPN last month. "I played bad, I can say that and I am not shy about saying it because everyone knows it. But I learned what I have to do for the next games and what I don't have to do, so for the next games, it is going to be better."
He certainly deserves praise for the way he reacted to last season’s setback; instead of sulking or criticising his manager, he simply knuckled down and began to prove his worth on the training ground and out on the pitch. Mourinho has numerous attacking options at his disposal this term, but right now Mkhitaryan has made himself undroppable.
