Henrikh Mkhitaryan provided a fascinating glimpse of his quality on Saturday by producing an eye-catching first-half display during Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

The Armenia international joined the Reds from Borussia Dortmund earlier this month and made his unofficial debut at the DW Stadium, where Jose Mourinho oversaw a comfortable victory in his first match as manager thanks to second-half goals from Will Keane and Andreas Pereira.

Mkhitaryan started the match in the number 10 position and impressed the 7,000 United fans in attendance with an energetic, creative performance behind striker Will Keane. The 27-year-old was taken off during the break in a planned substitution, yet he had already made his impact.

Speaking on MUTV during a live broadcast of the match, Denis Irwin explained why he was bowled over by Mourinho’s third signing of the summer. “When he is receiving the ball, he is always available, his body shape is always right and he let it run across him a couple of times,” Irwin said.

“He looks like a player who wants to go forward as well and carry the ball forward to the opposition. We know from last year at Dortmund alone what he can achieve in terms of scoring goals, creativity and assists.

“So it has all been good. I know people will say it is Wigan, but you can see his ability to take the ball under pressure. He is at a good age, he has good experience and you can see that.”