Share

Mkhitaryan earns Mourinho praise after first Man Utd goal

Cape Town - Henrikh Mkhitaryan was singled out for praise by Jose Mourinho after opening his Manchester United account in the Europa League.

The Armenian midfielder endured a tough start to his United career after his summer move from Borussia Dortmund, with the £30m midfielder struggling to even secure a spot on the bench.

However, the 27-year-old has started United’s last five games and netted an impressive solo goal during the 2-0 victory over Zorya Luhansk, which sent Mourinho’s men through to the knock-out stages of the Europa League.

"He has a strong mentality," Mourinho said. "He was very determined to fight against his difficult adaptation, and he's doing that in the best way.

"He worked really hard physically, tactically and the talent we know is there. The talent we knew what we were buying.

"He fought to improve tactically, he fought to improve physically, and now he is playing good in the Premier League, good in the Europa League and the EFL Cup, and now evolving a bit more happiness for him, so I'm very pleased."

Mourinho had expressed concern about the ice-cold conditions on a frozen surface in Ukraine, yet United came through without any issues.

"The pitch was better today than yesterday and good enough to play football on and we appreciate the efforts to give us a good pitch," Mourinho said.

"There are no miracles in this cold weather, we know it's difficult to have a good pitch, so we appreciate the efforts to give us a good surface."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE