Mourinho is not exactly feeling too comfortable at this early stage of his Manchester United reign. Although United are definitely playing pretty better than previous few seasons, they don’t seem to have the ruthlessness that we have to associate with this famous club. Ibrahimovic went through the longest spell without scoring, Pogba is coming under severe pressure to produce the goods that he was expected to when United paid a record transfer fee to get him. Last weekend’s win against Swansea City has surely given Mourinho some breathing space, now that he has the next two weeks to look back and take control of the situation, he will heaving a sign of relief.

When Premier League action returns, United will be up against Arsenal, therefore it is essential that Mourinho has all his players fired up and ready when Wenger’s men come visiting. The Portuguese will be without Ibrahimovic, who is a serving a one-match ban following his fifth yellow card of the season.  This match could also see the reintroduction of Mkhitaryan in the starting line-up. The Armenian was brought in with much fanfare but unfortunately for him, things haven’t worked out too well. Mourinho has made it clear that Mkhitaryan is in his plans for the future but right now he needs to be fully ready to face the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

He did get his start against Manchester City but that ended with an embarrassing substitution at half-time, since then he has appeared more in the stands than on the bench. The former Borussia Dortmund player is entering his peak, at this stage, and he needs to be out on the field as much as possible. There is no doubting his abilities and talent. Last year he lit up the Bundesliga with his excellent vision from midfield and cracking finishing abilities.

Mkhitaryan is remarkable at adapting to different positions, during his Dortmund days he played on the right, left and centre, behind the number 9. He even flourished in the deep-lying role. When the Armenian was signed many believed that he will be a permanent fixture on the right side of the attacking three, from where he was on his most effective best at Dortmund. His quality would make him the first choice for any manager but Mourinho doesn’t seem to be fully convinced as of yet.

His goal-scoring ability could also come in very hand at this point as United look to get over the line against stubborn opponents. Mkhitaryan might not be fully match fit but if Mourinho was to change the mood around Old Trafford, it might be time he brought in the bumper summer signing back into the first team fold.