Why Mkhitaryan is Manchester United's most important player
Henrikh Mkhitaryan doesn't dab after scoring, nor does he shave illustrations on the side of his head, but in his second season at Old Trafford, the 28-year-old Armenia international has emerged as the key man in Jose Mourinho's rejuvenated Manchester United.
The signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season dominated the headlines, and bringing on Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic this year also reduced Mkhitaryan's star to a mere dim in the build-up to this campaign. But, over three matches, Mkhitaryan has crafted five assists, more than any other player has managed in the last six years, and a Premier League joint-record.
His fifth assist came in Saturday's 2-0 win over Leicester City, where he found Marcus Rashford off a corner kick. Over three matches, Mkhitaryan has now matched the five goals he was involved in over 24 appearances last season, when he recorded just one assist.
Mkhitaryan's creative ability is not unprecedented, though - he ended his time at Borussia Dortmund by scoring 23 goals and notching 32 assists in 2015-16.
But, as he explained in a note on the Players' Tribune, it took a bit of luck, and that luck won't come when you're not happy. In the year prior, Mkhitaryan described his time under Jurgen Klopp as a "very hard period" in his life, such that he "didn't want to go outside, even to have dinner." When Thomas Tuchel took over a year later, Mkhitaryan's confidence was renewed too.
"He changed everything for me," Mkhitaryan writes of Tuchel. "He came to me and said, 'Listen, I want to get everything out of you.'"
It looks like Mourinho has taken a page out of Tuchel's book.
Mkhitaryan's first season at United didn't start off well, as he was left out of the starting lineup multiple times through December. He slowly worked his way back into the team, but was used in multiple positions, often out wide.
Looking back, Mourinho seemed to regret taking as long as he did to introduce the Armenian into the fold: "If I (understood) him better, probably I would help him in a faster way than I did."
Mourinho explained, as quoted by Sky Sports: "I think he understands me and to be honest, I understand him. Because in the beginning of the (last) season, if he understands me better, he would have started better.
"But we spent time, working together. I know him well, he knows me well and the second part of the season was good for him, and I think this season is going to be even better."
It took more than a pep-talk to get Mkhitaryan ticking at Dortmund, though. Tuchel implemented an ultra-attacking system that Mkhitaryan joked felt like playing "with two defenders, three midfielders and five strikers."
He notes: "Even when we lost, we had fun."
And that feeling seems to be the key to unlocking the Armenian's potential. If Mkhitaryan is having fun, the goals and assists will come. Luckily, fun is in the air at Old Trafford this season, as the Red Devils are 3-0-0 to start the year.
It's not to say the club's new signings aren't an important factor to Manchester United's strong start; the team settled into a natural 4-2-3-1 because Lukaku and Matic fit the puzzle. Their introductions allowed Mkhitaryan to slot into the No. 10 hole, and his own personal influence has grown as a result. Lukaku will score goals, as will United's plethora of wide talent. But it will be Mkhitaryan who pulls the strings. He's the key to keeping this United team on-beat.
That role, and the renewed confidence of a team playing pretty football once again, is the secret to unlocking Mkhitaryan's creative war-chest once more.
Overshadowed by his peers, Mkhitaryan could prove the brightest star of all.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)