- Mkhitaryan secured Man Utd exit earlier this week, joined Arsenal
- Petrosyan has his say on spell at Old Trafford and what didn’t work
- Raises belief that there was a ‘problem’ with Mourinho’s tactical ideas
- READ MORE: Man Utd eye talks for Argentine ace, meeting set to discuss misfit’s exit
National team coaches getting involved in club matters doesn’t often end well, but that hasn’t stopped Artur Petrosyan discussing Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho.
The Armenian boss gave his thoughts on Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s recent exit from Manchester United to join Arsenal, and lifted the lid on an issue that the playmaker was experiencing at Old Trafford.
The 29-year-old wasn’t able to fully express himself with the Red Devils, as evidenced by his goals and assists dramatically falling from the standards he set at former club Borussia Dortmund.
Mkhitaryan went from scoring 23 goals and providing 32 assists in 52 games for the Bundesliga outfit in the 2015/16 campaign to managing just 13 goals and 11 assists in 63 outings for United in the last 18 months.
While the Premier League is undoubtedly a different challenge altogether, it would still have been a major disappointment for all concerned.
In turn, it’s no surprise that Petrosyan is happy to see him move on and get a fresh start in north London, and he believes it comes down to just not clicking with Mourinho’s demands.
“We are very happy with this transfer from Manchester United. His style of play will be better suited at Arsenal,” he is quoted as saying by ESPN.
“It is my impression that I think Henrikh had a problem with the coach [Jose Mourinho]. I think Wenger is better for Henrikh. There will not be so much pressure on him defensively.”
It’s difficult to disagree with Petrosyan, as ultimately combine the above point with the creative class and technical quality that Mkhitaryan possesses, it’s difficult to see him not flourish at Arsenal who showcase that throughout the team with their style of play, or at the very least be better than what we saw with Man Utd.
With the national team in mind, Petrosyan will certainly hope that the playmaker regains his confidence and form, with Arsene Wenger equally as keen to see him get back to his best in order to help fill the void left behind by Alexis Sanchez who joined the Red Devils in that swap deal, as per BBC Sport.