How Manchester United and Tottenham playmakers compare so far.
A year ago Manchester United talent Henrikh Mkhitaryan was warming the sidelines, waiting to prove himself to manager Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho handed him a first start in the Manchester derby and after it did not go to plan, he benched him for the best part of the next two months.
It seemed harsh, but it all seems to have worked out well for the Red Devils.
12 months on and Mkhitaryan is outperforming one of the Premier League’s most consistent players in his position, Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.
Mkhitaryan has more assists, creates more chances, wins more tackles and is a more prolific dribbler than the Tottenham ace.
| Team | Passing Accuracy | Won Tackles | Key Passes | Crossing Accuracy | Dribbles | Shots On Target | Assists | Goals | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Man Utd | 85% | 7 | 21 | 22% | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| Christian Eriksen | Tottenham | 84% | 4 | 16 | 27% | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Eriksen has enjoyed a strong start to the season himself, recently setting a record to become the highest ever Danish scorer in the Premier League.
Mkhitaryan’s performances have been key to United’s success this season, but there is still room for improvement.
Eriksen has one more goal than him, but the shots on target statistic is telling.
Mkhitaryan simply is not giving himself the opportunities to score enough goals. Perhaps he is being too unselfish, but he needs to start finding the net regularly to really take his game to the next level.
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