Henrikh Mkhitaryan has admitted that he thought he would be an automatic starter at Manchester United but insists he is at fault for his slow start and not manager Jose Mourinho.
The Armenia international joined the Red Devils from German giants Borussia Dortmund for £26million in the summer but struggled to break into the side straight away at Old Trafford.
Mkhitaryan was brought off at half-time in the 2-1 loss against rivals Manchester City on September 10 and didn’t feature for a further two months until he came on as a substitute in their defeat to Fenerbahce recently.
The 27-year-old, who was publically criticised by Mourinho after the game in Turkey, is starting to show signs of what he can bring to the team and the winger thinks he has got what it takes to become a regular at the Theatre of Dreams.
“There was no bad relation with him [Mourinho], it was always good but the problem wasn’t him, it was me,” he told Sky Sports News.
“Now I understand why I have got my chance and I will keep it, I will hold it, because it is very important for me to play, to be a part of Manchester United.
“I was thinking that I would be here as a starting line-up player but when I arrived I saw that there were 25 players fighting for their place and I understood that it wasn’t going to be easy.
“I had a bad game against Manchester City but that is in the past so I kept working. I have done a great job to get my chance back and I think I did it a really long way until I start playing.
“The manager has a lot of choice, he has five or six players in that position but I know that playing now, I know what I have done bad in the past and what good I can do in the future.
“So I know how I can help the team and I will be doing my best.”
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
