Why Henrikh Mkhitaryan Will Be a Pivotal Player for Borussia Dortmund in 2015/16

Borussia Dortmund enter the coming season with a list of what-ifs. What if manager Thomas Tuchel is a dud and can't win over the dressing room? What if Marco Reus picks up another long-term injury? What if Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan get sold in the final hours of the transfer window?

Such questions undoubtedly keep Dortmund fans up at night, but one that probably hasn't been muttered in quite some time is this: Just how well will Henrikh Mkhitaryan play this season?

The Armenian international may have had a wobbly start to life in Germany, but entering his third season with the club, it seems safe to assume the first-team player is ready to become a pivotal part of Dortmund's new-look side. Right?

Mkhitaryan's most notable asset is the manner in which he can play across Dortmund's entire front line. Although he may prefer playing through the middle of the park as a traditional No. 10, he is often found on the right wing or on the left when Reus is played up front or out injured. 

Although it may seem like a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none situation, the attacking midfielder's ability to dribble his way around any obstacle with outstanding ball control means he's adapt at any situation. 

This will be handy for Tuchel in the coming campaign if or when Reus picks up his seasonal issue, Shinji Kagawa loses his form, or Dortmund need another central midfielder to replace either Ilkay Gundogan or Gonzalo Castro. Mkhitaryan can perform all these roles perfectly from one week to the next. 

Aside from where Mkhitaryan may be playing for Tuchel next season, we must also acknowledge that despite his poor goal return for Dortmund last season, the midfielder was an integral part of the side. 

His goal and assist in the Revierderby against Schalke perhaps encapsulated a performance that summed up Dortmund's late surge up the league table last season, and aside from perhaps Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, there is no player at the club who jells so well with Reus when they're counter-attacking. 

Although the former German champions may never recoup what they paid for Mkhitaryan, there's no denying that the Westfalenstadion faithful appreciate the midfielder for what he is: an exceptionally talented attacking player who brings things to the pitch that no one else can in this current Dortmund side. 

It's these reasons and perhaps a few more that suggest the attacking midfielder will have a strong season, and he now has a manager who actively encourages the kind of football Mkhitaryan needs in order to thrive. 

Under Klopp's long-ball football last year, Mkhitaryan struggled to find goals and assists, but Reus and Aubameyang did too. The Dortmund tactics of last season didn't encourage goals, but Tuchel's short passing and uber-attacking style do. 

Although he may be notorious around the Bundesliga for his less-than-gracious finishes—which often end up high, wide and handsome—there's plenty of reason to think the Armenian will bag far more than the measly five goals he picked up over the course of three competitions last season. 

He may never reach the heights of Reus or Aubameyang in the goalscoring charts, but there's plenty more to see from Mkhitaryan, and it looks as though it may be on show this coming season.