da aviator aposta： According to reports from The Telegraph, Jose Mourinho expects summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan to be fit for Manchester United’s Premier League clash with bitter rivals Liverpool on Monday.
What’s the word?
da dobrowin： After a scintillating final season at Borussia Dortmund, claiming 11 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga, United fans were overjoyed with news their club had snapped up the Armenia captain for £27million during the summer transfer window.
However, the attacking midfielder has endured a stuttering start to his Red Devils career and was ineffective during his first Premier League start of the season in the Manchester Derby – to the extent that he was hauled off at half-time and publicly criticised by Mourinho, picking up a thigh strain in the process.
That has left Mkhitaryan out of action in recent weeks. But United asked Armenia not to call him up for the international break to allow his injury to heal and according to The Telegraph, Mourinho expects him to be available to face Liverpool on Monday night.
Will that boost United’s chances?
In a nutshell, yes. It remains to be seen if Mkhitaryan is fit enough to start against Liverpool, having begun just one Premier League match so far this season and been stuck on the sidelines since early September, but he’s the kind of player you want in a high-profile away match.
Indeed, in addition to his well-proven technical and creative qualities, the 27-year-old is famed for his dynamic and scintillating speed. Due to the Reds’ fantastic form going forward this season, it’s likely United will set up defensively at Anfield – which means Mkhitaryan should have plenty of space to use his speed on the counter-attack.