MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been left out of the squad for the English Premier League match against Stoke because there are “doubts about his future.”
Mourinho says, “I would lie if I said it was a pure tactical decision. It was just a choice of the players that we know, in this moment, they have 100 percent their heads in Manchester United.”
United has been linked with a move for Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, with Manchester City also interested in the Chile international. Reports in the British media say Mkhitaryan could be included by United as a makeweight in a deal to bring Sanchez to Old Trafford.
Mourinho says, “It’s the best for him and for us, while the doubt is in the air, to protect him.”
Mkhitaryan joined United from Borussia Dortmund in July 2016.
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