Mkhitaryan explains how he showed Ibrahimovic there are two Gods at Man Utd

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed how he helped to show Manchester United team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic that he is not the only ‘God’ at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils’ enigmatic Swedish striker has never been shy of billing himself as the spiritual leader of football.

He has earned such a standing through his achievements on the pitch, with his legendary status stretching well beyond the borders of his homeland.

Mkhitaryan is, however, a performer who enjoys similar acclaim, as a national hero in Armenia, and was able to prove that point to Ibrahimovic during a Europa League meeting with FC Rostov in March.

“Everyone knows Ibrahimovic calls himself the God. But when we landed in Rostov I told him: ‘You see who the real God is’,” Mkhitaryan told a Match TV documentary dedicated to his career.

“I’m joking. There were many Armenians chanting my name. After that he understood there is another God – me!”

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Mkhitaryan has struck up a strong friendship with Ibrahimovic following the latter’s move to England in 2016 and claims that the 36-year-old is often wrongly being portrayed as being egotistical and argumentative.

He added: “Zlatan has a strong temper. Many people don’t agree with him. People do not understand or do not want to understand his jokes or what he’s talking about.

“But I have had good relations with him from the first moment. We kept in touch even when he was recovering out of Manchester.”

Ibrahimovic picked up an untimely knee injury shortly after United’s meeting with Rostov last season, in another Europa League clash with Anderlecht.

He has since worked his way back from surgery to earn a new short-term deal at Old Trafford and has been welcomed with open arms by all concerned.

Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, has seen his form dip since making a bright start to the 2017-18 campaign, figuring in just two games throughout November as Jose Mourinho shuffles his Premier League title-chasing pack.