Mkhitaryan: I don't regret joining Manchester United in the first place, although it was difficult but won the treble

In the early morning of Friday, Beijing time, Roma will meet Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Europa League, and Roma midfielder Mkhitaryan, who has played for Manchester United, was interviewed by The Athletic, recalling his past Red Devils years.

After the Donetsk miners, who own Fernandinho, Willem, Sner and Teixeira, Mkhitaryan joined Borussia Dortmund in 2013. Mkhitaryan recalls: "Klopp and Lucescu had a completely different philosophy of football, he was very friendly to the players, more like a psychologist, even if you play badly will give you confidence. During that time, when I didn't play well, I would shut myself off and not talk to anyone. ”

"When my team loses or doesn't play well because of my mistakes, I feel guilty. I kept putting pressure on myself, but Klopp made me understand that football is made up of 11 players, and whether I win or lose depends on the team. You can make mistakes, no one will never make mistakes, it's part of life, he helped me take the pressure off and allowed me to look at it positively. ”

Under Klopp's successor, Tuchel, Mkhitaryan has scored 23 goals in a single season, and speaking about Tuchel, he said: "Tuchel is very different, he is also friendly and demanding, but he is a person who cares more about technical tactics. He knows exactly what he wants, he knows exactly how the players should run and what they should do in the game. ”

After the success of Borussia Dortmund, Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United in 2016 as a member of Mourinho's staff. Of his original decision, Mkhitaryan said: "I never regret my decision. At that time, Mourinho was one of the most successful coaches in the world, and I think he was the coach who won the most championships, so it was a different experience. It was tough, but I also learned a lot. I learned how to defend, how to help the team, not just goals and assists. It's more about the team winning, so it doesn't matter who scores, we have to win together. It doesn't matter who delivers the assist, as long as we can finally win the game, we will be happy. ”

"I would say that I had a tough time, but after the first two or three months, I had a great time. I won three trophies with the club and it was really great. You know, some players who have played at Manchester United for a long time haven't won anything. ”

Despite years of leaving United, Mkhitaryan is still in touch with some of the Red Devils players, saying: "It's not just football, it's not that you play football and then leave, you make friends. Pogba, De Gea, Mata, Marcus Rashford and Bai, we also message each other. It's not every day or month, but it's sent when you have the chance. ”

Today, Mkhitaryan, who has left Manchester United, has made a great performance in Rome, with Romelu Lukaku becoming Inter's top scorer and United also finishing second in the Premier League. Mkhitaryan pointed out: "When Lukaku was still at Manchester United, a lot of people criticized him, but I don't agree. He's done a great job, and it's not just at Manchester United. He has shown this at West Brom, Everton and now Inter. I think the only question is who your coach is, especially for a striker, because you have to score goals. Now Lukaku is comfortable with Conte at Inter, he proves himself to those who hold different views and I am happy for him because he deserves it. ”

Mkhitaryan continued: "Whether you're Marcus Rashford, Pogba or anyone else, they can always find small details to criticize you. When Pogba played, people criticized him for his hairstyle, and I think it had nothing to do with football, it was just his personal life. If he plays badly, criticizing him should also be criticizing his performance, not his hairstyle. This is not good, it has nothing to do with football at all. ”

"Some people don't know him at all, some people don't train with him, they can't see these things. Only with him can you say that he plays well or badly based on the way he trains, the way he thinks, and the way he suffers. ”

Commenting on the upcoming match against Manchester United, Mkhitaryan said: "I am very happy because at least I can meet some of my old team-mates and the club's staff. ”

As the star of Armenia, Mkhitaryan also cherishes and appreciates his success in Europe, and he also hopes that more Armenian players can achieve their dreams like him. He said: "I've always had a dream of playing in Europe and I've always wanted to be able to make that dream come true. Thank God I can do it and still have the opportunity to play in Europe. I've played in Germany, in the Premier League, in Italy, and I've shown armenians that nothing is impossible, and I'd like to see other Armenians play in the Bundesliga, in the Premier League, in Serie A. ”

"It would make me proud if my friends could get to that level as well, and I don't want to be the only Armenian to play in the best leagues in the world."

(Editor: Yao Fan)