Lucescu thinks Mkhitaryan should remain at Shakhtar for the time being.
Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu has revealed that he thinks coveted midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan should not move to Liverpool, Tottenham or Borussia Dortmund but remain in Ukraine.
The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with all three clubs in recent weeks and looks destined to be playing at one of them by the time the 2013/14 campaign gets underway.
Yet Lucescu is completely bemused by his star’s apparent desire to leave Shakhtar and believes the Armenian would be making a big mistake.
“I do not want to give comments. It’s his decision, his desire. I think he is making a big mistake,” the manager was quoted on goal.com.
“Shakhtar are a strong club. And behind you is always 50,000 fans who will support you. We play as a team, which is each year fighting for the championship, for the cup and for the Champions League – he has to appreciate it.
“The whole team helped him to show up in the penalty area and score.
“We all helped him. Perhaps even more than all the rest. When he played in the championship, I had rarely changed, helping him to win the title of top scorer in the championship.”
It’s clear from Lucescu’s comments that he feels Mkhitaryan would be letting the Ukrainian champions down if he were to move this summer, with the club having already sold Fernandinho to Manchester City and Willian to Anzhi Makhachkala.
However, with Dortmund reaching the Champions League final this year and the lure of the Premier League, it would be difficult for the Armenia international to turn down any of the three clubs if a concrete offer arrived.
Mkhitaryan was in fine form for Shakhtar last season, top-scoring in the league with an impressive 25 goals in 29 appearances.
It’s clear to see why Shakhtar are keen to hold onto the midfielder with solo efforts like this:
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