Summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan is hoping to kick-start his Old Trafford career by starting against Fenerbahce in the Europa League tonight. The Armenian cost £25 million in the summer but has made just one Premier League start to date, in the Manchester derby where he was substituted at half-time, and is hoping to show what he is really capable of tonight as the Red Devils seek to make it two consecutive home wins in Europe.
The former Dortmund playmaker has missed the last four games with a calf strain which also saw him sit out international duty, but is now fit and expected to play a role, most likely from the start, in tonight’s clash, according to the Telegraph.
Jose Mourinho has insisted that no-one, including his marquee signings Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is protected from being dropped if they underperformed. He told the press:
“Untouchable in our team has to be the spirit, the commitment, the pride, the commitment to the club, respect to the fans. That has to be untouchable, not players.”
Mourinho has already shown as much to a certain extent after taking the decision to drop Wayne Rooney to the bench for the visit of Leicester City, with the club captain so far unable to return to the starting line-up in Premier League action.
In a disappointing update for Ed Woodward and Mourinho, the Daily Mail have revealed that the Red Devils are set to miss out on Boca Juniors midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur as Juventus prepare to snap up his services. The Turin club will take up a first refusal option which they included in the deal which saw former United striker Carlos Tevez return to Argentina in 2015.
The 19-year-old Bentancur revealed:
“It is already signed. When I was in Switzerland recently Juventus informed me that that they were going to activate the option so I will travel to Turin soon in order to complete the deal.”
Now, Mourinho and Woodward will be forced to look elsewhere for the next big talent to come through the ranks.
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