Henrikh Mkhitaryan insists he has drawn a line under his past differences with Jose Mourinho after explaining why he chose to stay at Roma.
Mkhitaryan is entering a third season with Roma after signing a one-year contract in the summer, following some speculation about his future.
His decision to remain with the club means he has been reunited with Mourinho, a coach he didn’t always see eye to eye with during their time together at Manchester United. However, they did win trophies together, which they will now be hoping to repeat in Rome.
Speaking to Sky Sport, Mkhitaryan confirmed that everything was in the past with Mourinho and they have already worked out how to move forward together.
The attacking midfielder added that he felt convinced by the Roma project with Mourinho at the helm.
“I had offers from Italy and abroad, but I chose to stay,” the number 77 said. “Mourinho is a winner and with him I have already clarified everything.
“I believe in the project, I like everything here: the club, the city. I think it has everything to win.”
Being reunited with Mourinho may have been a challenge for Mkhitaryan to come to terms with, but having turned the page, he is fully prepared.
“I don’t want to talk about what happened in the past,” he added. “We have cleared it up and started again from zero.
“I know him very well and I know what he asks of his players. I am ready for everything.
“He is very ambitious and always wants to win. Playing well doesn’t interest him, but the three points in every match. He has won almost everything, I hope that he can win something here at Roma because he is a coach that gives you an extra gear.”
Embed from Getty ImagesWhether Roma can win something in Mourinho’s first season remains to be seen; they were far off the pace under Paulo Fonseca in the last couple of seasons and have a long way to go in their rebuild.
While refusing to commit to a prediction about the race for the Scudetto, Mkhitaryan did admit that he thinks Roma can return to the top four.
“The fight for the Scudetto will be difficult like it was last year. It will be interesting because all the teams are ready for the start of the league. Without having seen how the opponents play, I can’t unbalance myself to say a favourite, but we must concentrate on ourselves and understand what the right path is.
“We haven’t played in the Champions League for a couple of years, this year we have to believe and we can reach it.”
One factor that may boost Roma’s chances of doing so is the return of Nicolo Zaniolo after a long-term injury. The attacking midfielder, who could play on the opposite side to Mkhitaryan in the system, did not kick a ball last season, but if he can get back to his best, will give Roma an extra element.
Mkhitaryan is confident that his teammate will make a difference in the upcoming season.
“From the first day I saw him play, I thought that he is a fantastic footballer. I have so much faith in him and I believe that this year he will give us something more. Last year he was missed a lot from all points of view.”
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