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Man Utd star blasted at breakfast advised distinction between Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp

Henrikh Mkhitaryan played under Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp but has explained the stark difference between the two iconic managers, including an infamous moment during breakfast at Manchester United

Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Jose Mourinho
Henrikh Mkhitaryan played under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened up about his time playing under Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp as he compared the two iconic managers.

The Armenian arrived at Manchester United in 2016 for a reported fee of £27million after being voted the Bundesliga Players’ Player of the Season. Mkhitaryan was one of Mourinho’s first signings at Old Trafford but struggled to nail down a place under the Portuguese.

The creative midfielder had been brought to Dortmund by Klopp who moulded him into the exciting talent that attracted United to his services. But it wasn’t long until the press and Mourinho were asked questions about his ability to make a position in the team his own.

Mkhitaryan told Yevgeny Savin: “Once Mourinho saw me at breakfast and said to me: ‘Because of you, the press criticises me’. “I replied: ‘Really, mister? I’m not doing it on purpose’.

Mkhitaryan substituted during the 2017 Europa League final.(Image: X01095)

“Back in Manchester United there were paparazzi three days a week. They filmed you as you got in the car, how you were dressed. Once you arrived at the sports centre they were already there. Every step was controlled.”

Mkhitaryan did begin to play more at United and showed flashes of brilliance. The Inter Milan ace, who turned 36 on Tuesday, even played and scored in the Europa League final as the Reds secured a major trophy.

But the winger’s relationship with Mourinho never seemed to get any better. Eventually he was sold to Arsenal as part of swap deal for Alexis Sanchez. “[My relationship] with Mourinho was the most complicated in my career; he is a winner by nature,” he added.

Jurgen Klopp - Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Jurgen Klopp brought Mkhitaryan to Dortmund
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“He wants you to win and you do what he asks you, it is difficult for anyone. There were differences and conflicts, but they did not have a big impact on the hard work we did and the three trophies we won.

“Klopp is a friend, like a father or brother to me. When I left Dortmund I had started to truly understand football.”

Mkhitaryan and Mourinho were reunited again at Roma in 2021 and the Armenian started Roma’s UEFA Conference League triumph over Feyenoord, landing the club’s first European trophy. Mkhitaryan left Rome to join Inter Milan just months later while Mourinho was sacked in January 2024.