PanARMENIAN.Net – The closest anybody can come to rivaling Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United is Armenian playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the English club said on its official website.

“It would be fair to state that Ibrahimovic had a bigger impact in a short space of time than any other player in Manchester United's history,” the club said.

“Others who performed well in short stints at the club spring to mind, including Carlos Tevez who may have only been on a two-year loan but still racked up 99 games. Veteran defender Laurent Blanc was another of Sir Alex Ferguson's short-term acquisitions but he managed 75 outings.

“Arguably, the closest anybody can come to rivaling the Scandinavian legend is Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian won the same three pieces of silverware as Zlatan last term and also scored in the Europa League final against Ajax. Mkhitaryan appeared 63 times for the Reds before moving to Arsenal in January, scoring 13 goals.”

The Armenia international endured a difficult 18-month spell under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United before swapping Old Trafford for the Emirates in January as part of the swap deal which saw Alexis Sanchez move in the opposite direction.

While Sanchez has struggled badly, scoring just once in 10 games, since his high-profile move, Mkhitaryan appears to be thriving in an attack-minded Arsenal side.

The 29-year-old has already provided six assists and scored in consecutive games, including his maiden Arsenal goal in last week’s 2-0 over AC Milan in the Europa League.