Mourinho explains why Mkhitaryan is out of his squad in recent matches

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho explained why Armenia international midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not playing in the previous matches, official website of Manchester United reported.

“I can only have six [outfield] players on the bench and I try to have some balance on the bench – I had two defenders and [Daley] Blind who can play in different areas. I had Ashley Young to cover me all of the wing and the wing-back position,” Mourinho said.

“I had [Ander] Herrera as a midfield player, Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] as a striker and Marcus [Rashford] as a second striker and winger. I played [Anthony] Martial, [Juan] Mata and [Jesse] Lingard in the team. To have Micki means that I don’t have one of them and, in this moment, I believe the other ones they deserve [the chance to play].””

The article says Mkhitaryan will be working hard in a bid to return when the Reds return to action on Sunday in the Premier League against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

The Armenian has not been involved in the matchday squad in seven of the last eight games and last featured as a substitute in United's 1-0 win over Brighton on 25 November.

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