What’s the story?
Manchester United attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that he turned down a move to rivals Liverpool in 2013, as quoted from the Daily Mail. The Armenian caught the interest of then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, when he was plying his trade at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Also Read: Henrikh Mkhitaryan's stunning scorpion kick wins Premier League goal of the month award for December
Rodgers had planned to play the nimble attacker with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, “I spoke two or three times on the phone to Brendan Rodgers. He was saying he really wanted me and that I’d get to play with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard.
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Mkhitaryan was impressive in his 3-year spell at the Ukranian side, where he scored 44 goals in 106 appearances and provided 24 assists. His superb showing led to a bid from current Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, who was the then manager of German side, Borussia Dortmund.
He continued his superb form at the German club, scoring 41 goals and assisting 49 goals, which led to a big-money move to Manchester United.
The heart of the matter
The Armenian revealed that Rodgers had enquired about his availability and also had conversations with him about how he would line up in the Liverpool team.
But, he has now revealed that he turned down the offer because he was unsure of a move to the Premier League and thought that the gulf between the Ukranian League and the Premier League was too big.
"Half of me thought I had to go there, the other half was not so confident, that the gap to the Premier League might be too big for a skinny player from the Ukrainian league,” said the Red Devils attacker to Daily Mail.
The current United player said that he accepted the offer from Dortmund because of the brilliant reputation that Klopp has of training and grooming young players.
What’s next?
Mkhitaryan’s Manchester United career did not have the best of starts, but after a string of good performances, he has become an important member of the Red Devils’ first-team.
Also Read: Jose Mourinho insists Manchester United are the bigger club ahead of the North West Derby
His next task would be to help United defeat arch rivals Liverpool in today’s clash against the Jurgen Klopp-managed side.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The Armenian's decision to reject a move to Liverpool was a smart move as the gulf in class between the Premier League and the Ukranian league is vast. He also became a complete player under Klopp at Dortmund and earned a much-deserved move to Manchester United.
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