Mkhitaryan has revisited his turbulent spell under Mourinho at United, detailing the tensions that defined their working relationship. The Armenian midfielder joined the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, but despite flashes of brilliance, his time in England was marked by inconsistency, criticism and an eventual falling out with the Portuguese manager.
Mourinho had strongly pushed to sign Mkhitaryan at United, but their bond quickly deteriorated. Their feud reached a boiling point during a heated exchange at Old Trafford, as Mkhitaryan recalls in his new autobiography My Life Always at the Center.
“I told him, you’ve been criticising me for a year and a half now, ever since I arrived at Manchester United,” wrote Mkhitaryan in his book. “Mourinho told me I was a piece of sh*t. I told him that he was a sh*t. An enormous one.”
Despite their fallout, fate brought the pair back together at Roma in 2021. Remarkably, the midfielder says the tension quickly disappeared.
“On the first day we hugged,” he said, describing a sense of mutual respect that replaced the bitterness from their Manchester days.
The pair’s reunion proved transformative. Under Mourinho, Mkhitaryan rediscovered his rhythm, playing a vital role in Roma’s 2021-22 Europa Conference League campaign, a season that ended with the club’s first major UEFA club competition title.
The midfielder revealed a striking insight into Mourinho’s psychological tactics before the final in Tirana, where Roma defeated Feyenoord 1-0.
“‘We’re going to win in Europe’, we often said it to each other in the Trigoria locker room,” Mkhitaryan recalled. “Before the final, Mourinho had the entire training centre plastered with photos of the trophy, accompanied by the slogan WE MUST WIN in capital letters. They were everywhere. In the locker room, in the corridors, in the bedrooms, in the kitchen, in the bathroom. We got changed and thought about victory. We walked and thought about victory. We fell asleep and thought about victory. We smelled the food and thought about victory. Even while we were p*ssing, we thought about victory.”
The 36-year-old continues to carry that same mentality at the Nerazzurri, where he joined in 2022. After a mixed start to the new season with Inter losing two of their first six Serie A matches the veteran midfielder will be central to helping Cristian Chivu’s side regain focus in the title race. Inter currently trail league leaders Napoli by three points, and Mkhitaryan’s experience could once again prove invaluable as they look to mount another Scudetto challenge.
