Henrikh Mkhitaryan Reportedly Frustrated with Manchester United Positioning

Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan is reportedly frustrated at being played on the right flank by manager Jose Mourinho. 

The midfielder made a big-money summer switch from Borussia Dortmund to Old Trafford having enjoyed a tremendous season in the Bundesliga. But, according to Neil Custis of the Sun, he is already miffed at where he’s being deployed by his new boss.

“… Mkhitaryan is not happy having to play wide in a three behind the striker,” the report read. “That is where he has appeared in each of his four sub appearances too since his £30 million switch from Borussia Dortmund. Last term, the 27-year-old was voted best player in the Bundesliga after scoring 11 times with 15 assists, mainly from his favoured No.  10 role.”

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Mkhitaryan was given a baptism of fire on Saturday, making his first start for the club in the Manchester derby. Manchester City were 2-1 winners, and the Armenia international struggled before being taken off at half-time. 

It may be a while before we see the playmaker again, too. According to Paul Hirst of the Times, the 27-year-old is set to miss three games after aggravating a thigh injury during Saturday’s match.

According to ESPN FC’s Gabriele Marcotti, the former Dortmund man wasn’t fully fit for the game:

Suggestions Mkhitaryan is unhappy about his role in the side are peculiar. While he possesses all the natural skills to play as a No. 10—and has done successfully in the past—the midfielder was primarily used from a role on the right-hand side in the 2015-16 season.

Indeed, Shinji Kagawa typically took up the berth behind the forward, while the spot on the left flank was occupied by Marco Reus. As we can see in this clip, plenty of Mkhitaryan’s best moments of the campaign came in wider areas, although the trio mentioned would fluidly interchange:

According to WhoScored.com, in Dortmund’s “Most Used XI” from the 2015-16 Bundesliga season, Mkhitaryan occupied a spot on the right flank and finished the campaign with a better rating than any of his team-mates.

One of the most exciting traits of Mkhitaryan’s acquisition was his ability to be versatile in midfield. At times he’s played as a left-winger, right-winger and a No. 10; there were even spells in 2014-15 when he occupied a deeper role.

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So it would be a huge surprise if he was unhappy about being used in this position, especially given just how effective he was there last term. BBC Sport’s Simon Stone called for calm when assessing Mkhitaryan:

While he hasn't sparkled early on, Mkhitaryan is a player with a history of starting slow. Following his move from Shakhtar Donetsk, it took the midfielder a while to get up to full speed in the Bundesliga. And before he burst into life in 2015-16, there were some major doubts as to whether he was good enough to feature at the Westfalenstadion on a frequent basis.

Given the change in culture, playing style and the injury problems that have hampered him, it’s no surprise to see Mkhitaryan stutter out of the blocks at Old Trafford.

However, given time and patience to flourish, the Red Devils will have a wonderful attacking asset on their hands, regardless of where he operates on the pitch.