Wenger in sly pop at Mourinho over Mkhitaryan’s Arsenal form

Arsene Wenger insists he is not surprised by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s form at Arsenal, suggesting life at Arsenal suits the Armenian playmaker.

The former Borussia Dortmund star ended a difficult 18-month period at Manchester United by moving to north London as part of the deal that took Alexis Sanchez to Old Trafford.

But while the Chilean has struggled to adapt to his new surroundings and faces calls to be dropped, Mkhitaryan has hit the ground running at Arsenal having provided six assists and scored in consecutive games, including his maiden goal for the club in last week’s 2-0 over AC Milan in the Europa League.

And while the performances of the Armenian have taken some by surprise, Wenger insists life in a more attack-minded Arsenal side was always going to suit him better.

“Yes he integrated very quickly,” Wenger said. “I think it’s the way we want to play that suits him naturally. He has been well accepted and made good a adaptation.

“Players of his calibre, it helps he has been abroad before so he knows how to behave.

“I am never surprised when players do well. It’s what I expect of them.”

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