Jose Mourinho reportedly texted Henrikh Mkhitaryan a harsh 10-word text message every night in an attempt to force the Armenian midfielder to leave Manchester United.
Mkhitaryan joined United in the summer of 2016 from Borussia Dortmund. Expectations were sky-high at Old Trafford after he scored 23 goals and assisted 32 times in 52 games during the 2015-16 season.
“Henrikh is a very talented footballer, who has been in such prolific form for both his club and his country,” Mourinho, who had only recently joined Manchester United, said of Mkhitaryan, who was 27 at the time. “He is a true team player who possesses outstanding skill, vision, and a keen eye for goal. I am glad he has chosen to join United.”
Mkhitaryan demonstrated hints of his abilities during his first season at Manchester United, winning the League Cup and the Europa League, but he failed to light up the Premier League. And, midway through his second season, he was abruptly transferred to Arsenal, two weeks after being substituted at half-time during an FA Cup third round match against Derby County.
Mkhitaryan served as a makeweight in the January 2018 transfer of Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United. Mourinho had finally got his man – arguably Arsenal’s finest player at the time – but the move was a complete failure, with Sanchez being largely regarded as one of United’s worst purchases in recent years.
Mkhitaryan Remembers ‘Grotesque’ Situation With Mourinho.
In his new autobiography, My Life Always at the Centre, Mkhitaryan has recounted how Mourinho handled him during his final weeks in Manchester. An explosive argument erupted between the two, with Mkhitaryan noting, per Goal, “I told him, you’ve been criticising me for a year and a half now, ever since I arrived at Manchester United.”
“Mourinho called me a piece of s**t. I called him a s**t. “A huge one.”
According to Calcio Mercato, Mourinho said, “Go away, I never want to see you again.”
By this point, their relationship at Old Trafford had suffered irreversible harm. According to Mkhitaryan: “During training the coach didn’t tell me anything, he remained in religious silence, but every night he sent me a message on WhatsApp: ‘Miki, go away, please’.”
In his book, Mkhitaryan describes the situation as ‘grotesque’ and claims he’d constantly respond with the same message: “I’ll go if I find the right team, otherwise I’ll wait for summer.”
Mourinho allegedly escalated his four-word text message to a clear 10-word directive in an effort to get rid of Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan remembers:
“By mid-January, the text had modified slightly. ‘Miki, please go away so I can grab Alexis Sanchez’.
“Mino [Raiola] was coordinating this trade with Arsenal. My response has also changed. I’m not leaving to satisfy you, and please don’t write to me again. “If you want, speak with Mino.”
Despite how things ended at Old Trafford, Mkhitaryan and Mourinho reconnected three years later at AS Roma. “On the first day, we hugged,” Mkhitaryan added, admitting that the couple’s tension had surprisingly dissipated in Italy.
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