Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s turbulent spell at Manchester United under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho has resurfaced in dramatic fashion, thanks to revelations from the Armenian midfielder’s newly released book. It’s a story with all the ingredients of a classic football saga: big-money transfers, clashing personalities, and a series of WhatsApp messages that would ultimately change the course of two Premier League giants.
Mkhitaryan, who joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 for a hefty fee of around £27 million, was heralded as one of Mourinho’s marquee signings. The Armenian arrived with high expectations, having lit up the Bundesliga with his prolific attacking displays. But things didn’t quite pan out as planned. Over the course of 63 appearances, Mkhitaryan netted 13 goals—a respectable tally, yet a far cry from the form that made him a star in Germany.
Behind the scenes, however, the relationship between player and manager was unraveling at a remarkable pace. According to Mkhitaryan’s account, the atmosphere at Carrington was tense, with Mourinho growing increasingly frustrated with the midfielder’s performances. In a candid excerpt from his book, Mkhitaryan writes, “I told him, you’ve been criticising me for a year-and-a-half now, ever since I arrived at Manchester United. Mourinho told me I was ‘s’ and I just lost my temper. ‘You are the s. An enormous one.’” The exchange didn’t end there. Mourinho, never one to shy away from confrontation, replied, “Get out of here, I never want to see you again.”
The hostility was not limited to face-to-face encounters. Mkhitaryan reveals that during training sessions, Mourinho maintained what he described as “a religious level of silence,” refusing to engage with him directly. Yet, every evening, the silence was broken—digitally, at least—by a WhatsApp message from the manager. “Miki, leave, please,” Mourinho would write, a refrain that became all too familiar for the playmaker. “The situation had become grotesque,” Mkhitaryan recounts, noting that he would respond with a copy-and-paste message: “I will leave if I find the right team, otherwise I’ll wait for the summer.”
As the January 2018 transfer window approached, the urgency in Mourinho’s messages escalated. The Portuguese manager had his sights set on Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, and a swap deal was in the works. Mkhitaryan remembers the shift: “Towards the middle of January, the text changed slightly. ‘Miki, please leave, that way I can get Alexis Sanchez.’” Mino Raiola, Mkhitaryan’s influential agent, was tasked with brokering the exchange. The midfielder stood firm, replying, “I am not leaving just to do you a favour, and please stop writing to me. If you want, talk to Mino.”
The deal finally materialized, with Mkhitaryan heading to Arsenal and Sanchez making the move to Old Trafford. It was a blockbuster swap, but for Mkhitaryan, it marked the end of a chapter defined by frustration and a lack of mutual understanding. Despite being one of Mourinho’s first signings, his time at Manchester United lasted just a season and a half.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Mkhitaryan described the entire episode as “grotesque,” a word that captures the surreal nature of their interactions. The daily barrage of messages, the cold shoulder at training, and the pressure to leave—all combined to create an environment that was anything but conducive to top-level football. “And everyone lived happily ever after,” Mkhitaryan joked, poking fun at the absurdity of the situation in retrospect.
But the story didn’t end with the swap deal. After an underwhelming stint at Arsenal, Mkhitaryan found himself at Roma, where fate would reunite him with Mourinho—now at the helm of the Italian side. For many observers, this reunion seemed destined for disaster, given their fraught history. Yet, both men surprised the football world by managing to put the past behind them. Mourinho, speaking in 2022, reflected on their renewed partnership: “The thing that makes me happy, in the beginning people go for a negative, and they were trying to say ‘Mkhitaryan with Jose has no chance, Jose is the kind of the guy that when things go wrong they never go well again’. It has been proven the opposite, we were very mature, very honest with each other.”
Mourinho went on to add, “I’m so happy with him and I’m happy with people understanding with me everything is not black and white.” It was a rare glimpse of humility from the famously combative coach, acknowledging that relationships in football can evolve—and sometimes, even heal.
Yet, the peace was short-lived. Later in 2022, Mkhitaryan made another high-profile move, joining Inter Milan on a free transfer. Reports surfaced that Mourinho was “furious” at losing the Armenian to a Serie A rival, a testament to how far their relationship had come since the WhatsApp wars of Manchester. Still, it’s clear that the wounds of the past had, at least temporarily, been patched up—only to be reopened by the realities of the transfer market.
For Manchester United fans, the saga serves as a reminder of a turbulent era marked by big spending, high expectations, and frequent managerial upheaval. The Alexis Sanchez-Henrikh Mkhitaryan swap remains one of the most talked-about deals in recent Premier League history, not just for the footballing implications, but for the human drama at its core. Neither player truly flourished at their new club, and both would move on in search of greener pastures.
The revelations from Mkhitaryan’s book provide a window into the pressures faced by elite footballers and the sometimes abrasive methods employed by top managers. Was Mourinho’s approach justified, or did it cross a line? That’s a question that will spark debate among fans and pundits alike. What’s certain is that the story adds another layer to the complex legacies of both men—one a celebrated tactician with a penchant for controversy, the other a gifted midfielder who, despite his struggles in England, continues to ply his trade at the highest level with Inter Milan.
As the dust settles on these latest revelations, one thing is clear: football is as much about personalities and relationships as it is about goals and trophies. The Mkhitaryan-Mourinho saga, with its twists, turns, and text messages, is a vivid illustration of that truth.
