Mkhitaryan on relationships with Klopp, Tuchel, Mourinho and Wenger: ‘Difficult’ | OneFootball

Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has spoken in-depth about his relationships with various coaches from his career to date, including Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.

The Nerazzurri veteran spoke in-depth about the coaches he has worked under so far at the Festival dello Sport in Trento on Sunday.

Mkhitaryan on bet with Klopp: ‘He told me I had to pay him €50’

The Armenian says that Klopp, with whom he worked at Borussia Dortmund, remains one of his all-time favourite coaches.

“He was always available whenever you wanted to talk to him, regardless of whether you wanted to talk about football or problems in life,” Mikhitaryan said (via TMW). I will always be grateful to him, because I did have some difficulties at Dortmund.”

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – DECEMBER 11: Head coach Juergen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund celebrates with Henrikh Mkhitaryan after the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Olympique de Marseille and Borussia Dortmund at Stade Velodrome on December 11, 2013 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Mkhitaryan went on to recall a bet that he once made with Klopp in training.

“It was a bet during training. He said to me ‘let’s bet you won’t score more than seven goals during this drill’. The first shot was off target, the second hit the post, Then he came over, stopped me and told him it was game over and I had to pay him €50.

“The next match, against Eintracht, I scored two goals, the ones I’d missed during training. After the game, he gave me a hug and said ‘will you give me those €50 back?’ I didn’t understand the bet. In fact, we didn’t make any more after that.”

Klopp would go on to join Liverpool in 2015, and was replaced by Tuchel in Dortmund. Mkhitaryan explained that he did not feel at his best when Tuchel first came in, but that everything had changed by the end of the season.

“Before talking about him, I wanted to explain that we had trouble in Klopp’s last year, finishing seventh and reaching the final of the German cup. Klopp left, Tuchel replaced him and I wanted to leave. I didn’t feel great physically or mentally.

“I had an agreement with Dortmund to leave. Tuchel, however, came in and said he wanted to talk to me and to trust him. He said ‘trust me, you’ll get 15 goals and 15 assists in this position’. I laughed because I’d lost confidence. Even my agent, Raiola, was telling me to leave.

“In the end, I had a great season and the credit must go to him. He brought my confidence and the joy of playing football back.”

Mkhitaryan on Man United, Arsenal, Mourinho and Wenger

Next up for Mkhitaryan was a move to Old Trafford to join Manchester United and Mourinho.

“Mouinho called me, he told me he wanted me in Manchester, because I had a crazy season according to him. It’s an opportunity you might get, maybe, once in your career.

“My relationship with him was not the easiest, but it made me grow as a person, despite the difficulties. He wanted to give me some trouble and see if I could get out of it. I’ve never given up on anything in life.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho speaks with Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Sunderland at Old Trafford on December 26, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

“I’m not saying that we had a bad relationship as human beings, but as a coach and player, we always had unpleasant confrontations.

“He wanted to see if you were mentally strong, if you could play in the games that matter the most, in the league and Champions League. This is his way of coaching and understanding people, to see if he can trust you.”

Mkhitrayan recalls that Mourinho did not shake his hand after they won the Europa League together with Manchester United.

“He didn’t give me his hand. Maybe he forgot, or maybe he wanted to see how I’d react. I didn’t pay attention to it at the time, but it still left a mark on me. I’d ask myself ‘why’. But, I learned that you don’t need a hug for somebody to tell you you’ve done well.”

Mkhitaryan left Manchester United to join Arsenal in a move that saw Alexis Sanchez move in the opposite direction.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 28: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Arsenal in action during the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Olympique Lyonnais at the Emirates Stadium on July 28, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The Armenian still looks back fondly at his time in North London.

When asked how his ‘passion’ for Arsenal came about, Mkhitaryan said: “It was for Wenger. I spent six wonderful months with him before they let him go. We played the attacking football that he likes.

“I started watching Arsenal when I was nine or 10 years old, because they’d show Premier League matches in Armenia. Playing at Arsenal had always been a dream of mine.”