Manchester United don't always have the best of luck recruiting from the Bundesliga.
Poor Henrikh Mkhitaryan is this season's Shinji Kagawa or Bastian Schweinsteiger and after being embarrassingly hooked at half-time against Derby County on Friday night, nobody is expecting to still be at Old Trafford for next season's FA Cup.
READ: Henrikh Mkhitaryan's half-time substitution: 'I didn't like what I did' - Mourinho
How did it come to this? In the summer of 2016, Mkhitaryan was meant to be the signing that showed United's incoming manager Jose Mourinho had changed and embraced a thrilling brand of football.
The Armenian No 10, Germany's player of the season with Borussia Dortmund, was going to bring the flair and class back to Old Trafford as Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil, Philippe Coutinho, Christian Erik and David Silva were doing at United's rivals.
Contrast that hope with the reality of the 28-year-old's contribution against Championship side Derby before he was spared after half-time, with Romelu Lukaku coming on instead.
He had been cruelly booed when substituted in United's previous home game against Southampton and he seemed bereft of energy and confidence.
Starting with a series of misplaced passes, he overhit a cross into the sky from a few yards, something that park players would have avoided.
Mkhitaryan operated largely on the right-hand side of a 4-2-3-1 but swapped places with the centrally-placed Juan Mata throughout the first half in the hope of making something happen.
He has always been known for his goalscoring and even managed double figures in a difficult first season last year. In this campaign, he has netted only three times, none in his last dozen games, and didn't take the chance to beat Derby goalkeeper Scott Carson.
And when your form has gone, your luck is usually out as well.
Mikhitaryan's best piece of work, a well-delivered cross from the left found Marcus Rashford unmarked four yards from goal. It should have been an assist but Rashford failed to do his bit and headed against the post.
United's No 22 looked a forlorn figure, wearing gloves in what was a mild evening by Mancunian standards.
It looks as if he would be happy to leave in the January window, the trouble is Dortmund and Inter Milan insist they can't afford the £35million asking price to buy him, and United don't want to consider a loan – yet.
The only blessing was that Mkhitaryan didn't have the humiliation of hearing his own fans turn against him.
Mourinho hauled him off in the sanctity of the home dressing-room during the interval. Maybe the United manager does have a heart after all.
Mourinho said: '[It was] unfair [to take Mkhitaryan off] and I told him that at half-time. I didn't like what I did.
'He didn't deserve it, he was playing well, he wasn't playing bad. He had a couple of missed passes but he was playing well and giving a good dynamic to the team.
'My feeling was just that Rashford is not going to score a goal and because of that I'm not going to lose time and I'm going to play Romelu [Lukaku] so then I had to sacrifice a player.
'Micki was the one that I sacrificed but it's something that I don't normally do but I did at half-time and apologised to him in front of other people because he didn't deserve it.'
READ: Henrikh Mkhitaryan's half-time substitution: 'I didn't like what I did' - Mourinho
How did it come to this? In the summer of 2016, Mkhitaryan was meant to be the signing that showed United's incoming manager Jose Mourinho had changed and embraced a thrilling brand of football.
The Armenian No 10, Germany's player of the season with Borussia Dortmund, was going to bring the flair and class back to Old Trafford as Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil, Philippe Coutinho, Christian Erik and David Silva were doing at United's rivals.
Contrast that hope with the reality of the 28-year-old's contribution against Championship side Derby before he was spared after half-time, with Romelu Lukaku coming on instead.
He had been cruelly booed when substituted in United's previous home game against Southampton and he seemed bereft of energy and confidence.
Starting with a series of misplaced passes, he overhit a cross into the sky from a few yards, something that park players would have avoided.
Mkhitaryan operated largely on the right-hand side of a 4-2-3-1 but swapped places with the centrally-placed Juan Mata throughout the first half in the hope of making something happen.
He has always been known for his goalscoring and even managed double figures in a difficult first season last year. In this campaign, he has netted only three times, none in his last dozen games, and didn't take the chance to beat Derby goalkeeper Scott Carson.
And when your form has gone, your luck is usually out as well.
Mikhitaryan's best piece of work, a well-delivered cross from the left found Marcus Rashford unmarked four yards from goal. It should have been an assist but Rashford failed to do his bit and headed against the post.
United's No 22 looked a forlorn figure, wearing gloves in what was a mild evening by Mancunian standards.
It looks as if he would be happy to leave in the January window, the trouble is Dortmund and Inter Milan insist they can't afford the £35million asking price to buy him, and United don't want to consider a loan – yet.
The only blessing was that Mkhitaryan didn't have the humiliation of hearing his own fans turn against him.
Mourinho hauled him off in the sanctity of the home dressing-room during the interval. Maybe the United manager does have a heart after all.
Mourinho said: '[It was] unfair [to take Mkhitaryan off] and I told him that at half-time. I didn't like what I did.
'He didn't deserve it, he was playing well, he wasn't playing bad. He had a couple of missed passes but he was playing well and giving a good dynamic to the team.
'My feeling was just that Rashford is not going to score a goal and because of that I'm not going to lose time and I'm going to play Romelu [Lukaku] so then I had to sacrifice a player.
'Micki was the one that I sacrificed but it's something that I don't normally do but I did at half-time and apologised to him in front of other people because he didn't deserve it.'
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's career at Manchester United continues to turn sour
Reviewed by Debo Olowu
on
January 06, 2018
Rating:
Reviewed by Debo Olowu
on
January 06, 2018
Rating:
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