Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has explained his thinking behind continuously leaving out midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from his match-day squad.
The Armenian international arrived at Old Trafford in a £26 million deal from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, but has failed to make any impact on the Red Devils first-team.
As the club made a stuttering start to the season, Mkhitaryan has been forced to watch most of the games from the stands, and the 27-year-old has managed just one Premier League start to date.
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Moreover, the mystery continued earlier this week when United faced arch rivals Man City in the EFL Cup, and Mkhitaryan was again absent from the 18-man squad, despite being full-fit.
Today, during his weekly media press conference, Mourinho tried his best to put the record straight and stop all of the guess work surrounding his decisions:
"He is not injured. Sometimes I confuse the word 'fit' in the English language. Sometimes you can say that it is 'not injured', but you could also say that you are in great condition and ready to compete. That is different for me as we use different words in Portuguese for the different situations. Mkhitaryan is not injured, he is training with the team 100 per cent."
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Continuing to add that it takes some players longer to adapt to the English game:
"I think so, yes. Some players find it very easy whereas others need more time. They need time to feel the intensity, the aggression, the game without the ball and the competitiveness. The realities are often different, particularly in terms of the competitiveness. It doesn't matter who you are against, you have to play at the highest level otherwise you will not be able to do it. Micki needs time to become the top player he knows he can be."
While referencing Chelsea's Willian and then-Real Madrid Angel Di Maria:
"I don't like to speak about players from other clubs because I don't want to be misinterpreted, but I don't think he'll mind. A player who had a problem to play when he first arrived was Willian. He went through a process and then, after a few months, he became a top player. Then, when we won the championship, he was phenomenal and still is. That is just an example.
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Similarly, Di Maria had to learn a lot about his game when he came into Madrid from Portugal. Sometimes this is what happens. It happens with defenders, but it is often easier for them to adapt than attackers. Some go straight to success and others it takes more time."
Before finishing by saying:
"In Micki's case the process was interrupted by injury, which does not help the process of evolution. Being out for a month meant he has had to go through the process of getting match-fit, then once he has that he needs the competitive level to do it. We believe him and, sooner or later, there will be no problem."
United face Burnley this weekend, knowing that a win is absolutely essential after last week's 4-0 defeat to Chelsea. However, by the sounds of things, don't expect Mkhitaryan to be seen on the pitch at Old Trafford.
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Topics: Jose Mourinho, Manchester United