Henrikh Mkhitaryan Credits Jurgen Klopp for Making Him a 'Better Player'
Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that he owes a lot of the success in his career to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, ahead of the two crossing paths on Saturday.
The 28-year-old was enticed to the Klopp's former club Borussia Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 for a fee of £25.5m and won the German Super Cup twice while together in the Bundesliga.
The Armenian midfielder spent three years at Signal Iduna Park before joining the Red Devils in 2016. However, has insisted that his spell under the watchful eye of the often-animated German made him a better player.
"I had chosen Dortmund because I liked the way they play there", Mkhitaryan told German magazine 11 Freunde, as cited by the Liverpool Echo. "The players also liked me – and then there was the great coach, Jurgen Klopp.
"After I had talked to him, the decision had been made for me. I only wanted to go to Dortmund.
"When I came to Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp told me that I had to let go, and that it’s not good to think about football all the time. I started to understand what he meant, and so slowly, this part of me has changed.
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"I am thankful to Klopp. He worked on my personality and the psychological part.
"Klopp showed me the way. He supported me and told me I had to keep my head up because good things were coming. He helped me to become a better player."
The two former associates will cross paths again this Saturday, when Manchester United make the trip to Anfield in the Premier League's early kick off.
The attacking midfielder has featured in every minute of the Red Devils' top-flight action so far this term, netting one goal and creating five.
However, Mkhitaryan will be sure to set aside all friendships at the weekend when he faces his ex-boss, with United still hot on the heels of top of the table Manchester City in their hunt for their first league title in five years.
