Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 5 things you may not know about Manchester United's latest signing
Manchester United have agreed a £26 million deal to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The 27-year-old, who had just one year left on his contract with Dortmund will join Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack for the Red Devils.
Primarily an attacking midfielder, the Armenian-born can also play as a second striker. He has been praised for his dribbling, technique, passing and ability to tear defences apart. He started his career in Pyunik in Armenia. Due to his success in the Armenian league, he was signed by Ukranian club Metalurh Donetsk in 2009. A year later Shakhtar Donetsk came calling where he spent two seasons before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2013.
Mkhitaryan has won the Armenian Footballer of the Year five times and leads his country in international matches. His addition to the Manchester United side will prove crucial in their bid to secure a Champions League berth next season.
Here are 5 things you might not have known about Manchester United’s latest recruit:
#1 He almost joined Liverpool in 2013 but an intervention from Jurgen Klopp made him choose Dortmund
In the summer of 2013, the then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had made Mkhitaryan his top transfer target.
He was the leading goal scorer in Ukraine’s top flight the previous season, scoring 25 goals in 29 league games for Shakhtar Donetsk. With the deal almost done and reports of him flying to Anfield for a medical doing the rounds, Liverpool fans were excited at this midfield prospect who would light up Anfield if he was signed.
However, the then Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp made an offer he couldn’t refuse and he chose Signal Iduna Park as his future home rather than Anfield.
Mkhitaryan insisted that it was not money, but the brand of football Dortmund played that made him accept Klopp’s offer.
Looking at the present circumstances, the new Manchester United man will go up against the club who failed to sign him three years ago and against the same man who did – Jurgen Klopp, who is the current manager of Liverpool. Ironic, huh?