Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be able to fulfil the role that Santi Cazorla used to perform for the Gunners before the players sustained a long-term injury.
Cazorla was in many ways the heartbeat in the Arsenal midfield and the little Spaniard’s vision in and around the attacking third was what made the Gunners’ brand of football so soothing and pleasant to the eyes. The 33-year-old though has been out with an injury since October of 2016 and Wenger is desperately trying to replace him ever since.
But now if the French manager is to be believed then the London outfit might finally have found an apt alternative to Santi Cazorla in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The Armenian joined Arsenal during the January transfer window in a swap deal which saw Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United and Wenger is confident that the former Dortmund playmaker has the required qualities to play a Cazorla like role.
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“There’s similarities yes,” Wenger said(as reported by the Evening Standard)
“I wish [he could take over Santi’s role].
“Santi was an exceptional football player, technically to find Santi
“[Mkhitaryan] for sure has the technical level to play in our team.”
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“I met him before he came here, I always liked his game.
“He’s a player completely focused on football, dedicated totally to the game.
“He comes from a country, Armenia, where you need special character to become a great football player. You have to really love it. That’s why he looks happy to play football, he loves it.”
Even though multiple doctors have claimed that it is highly unlikely that Cazorla will return to the pitch but Arsene Wenger still remains hopeful that the Spaniard will one day return to playing first-team football at the Emirates.
