When you spend the kind of money Jose Mourinho has this summer, you’d better hope your new signings perform.
Manchester United splashed out close to £150million on Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Paul Pogba, but so far, the new boys have yielded mixed results.
Bailly has been a hit in the centre of defence, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who came in from PSG on a free transfer – has made a huge impact. Meanwhile, Pogba and Mkhitaryan still have a little way to go.
And according to the Sun, Mkhitaryan is growing increasingly frustrated that Mourinho hasn’t been playing him in his best position.
The Armenian was so successful at Borussia Dortmund as a No. 10, but for some reason, the United manager has given him a spot – when he plays him at all – on the wing of a three-man combination behind the striker.
As always at Old Trafford nowadays, the controversy seems to centre around Wayne Rooney. Mkhitaryan wants to play at No. 10, but of course, that’s where the England captain plays.
Mourinho doesn’t seem to be willing to drop Rooney, though that’s if it’s even in his hands at all. In the Manchester derby, the big difference was that City had a world-class player in that position, Kevin de Bruyne, while Rooney was unable to change the game.
If used properly, Mkhitaryan is a game-changer, but if that means dropping Rooney, there’s going to be a long wait to see what the midfielder can do.
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