Skip to content

Henrikh Mkhitaryan v Victor Wanyama: The key battle in Man Utd v Tottenham

The Key Battle: Henrikh Mkhitaryan v Victor Wanyama

Manchester United face Tottenham on Nissan Super Sunday. Who will come out on top in the key battle between Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Victor Wanyama? We take a look at the stats...

Sunday's game at Old Trafford sees an intriguing midfield match-up between playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan and play-stopper Victor Wanyama.

They have enjoyed contrasting starts to life at their clubs this season, with the main difference being game-time. Mkhitaryan started only his second Premier League game at Everton last Sunday, while Wanyama has started all 14 of Tottenham's fixtures.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (L) vies with Everton's English midfielder Tom Cleverley during the Premier League footballer
Image: Henrikh Mkhitaryan vies with Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley

While Wanyama has played in 97 per cent of Spurs' Premier League minutes, Mkhitaryan has only featured for 17 per cent of United's Premier League minutes. This has been down to his slow adjustment to English football and a thigh injury suffered earlier in the season.

United will certainly be looking to add more goals to their recent performances on Sunday, having scored only seven in their last eight games, with three of those coming at bottom club Swansea.

Live Nissan Super Sunday

This has led to a frustrating run of six draws in the last two months, but if Mkhitaryan can repeat his goal involvement stats from last season, he could be the man to solve their recent issues.

Mkhitaryan was involved in 49 goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund last season, scoring 23 and assisting 26. Only five players were involved in more goals across the top five major European Leagues.

Also See:

Most goal involvement in 2015/16 (all competitions)

Player Club Goals Assists Total
Luis Suarez Barcelona 59 22 81
Zlatan Ibrahimovic PSG 50 18 68
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 51 15 66
Lionel Messi Barcelona 41 23 64
Neymar Barcelona 31 20 51
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Borussia Dortmund 23 26 49

Only Mesut Ozil (19) and Angel Di Maria (18) made more than his 15 league assists, and his total of 26 goal involvements in the Bundesliga were only bettered by Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (32) and team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (30).

Mkhitaryan's 2015/16 Bundesliga record

Discipline Total Bundesliga rank
Goals from midfield 11 3rd
Assists 15 1st
Goal involvement 26 3rd
Chances created 83 3rd

The Armenian was duly voted Bundesliga Player of the Year. Previously, he also scored 44 goals in 106 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk, and he is his country's record scorer with 19 goals in 60 games.

His impressive record shows why United were so eager to sign him in the summer, and a comparison between his stats from last season and United's attacking midfielders this season shows how favourably he compares.

Mkhitaryan v United's other attacking midfielders (league games only)

Discipline Mkhitaryan (15/16) Pogba (16/17) Rooney (16/17) Mata (16/17) Lingard (16/17) Martial (16/17)
Mins per goal or assist 99 390 130 188 422 117
Shot conversion rate 18% 6% 7% 17% 0% 10%
Chances created per 90 2.9 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 1.9
Dribble success rate 51% 61% 35% 79% 40% 39%

Wanyama is the player who will be looking to stop Mkhitaryan on Sunday. The 25-year-old Kenyan has been a revelation this season, playing a key role for a side with the best defensive record in the Premier League.

Wanyama's 2016/17 Premier League record

Discipline Total Tottenham rank
Mins plays 1222 2nd
Touches 968 3rd
Tackles won 25 1st
Interceptions 18 2nd
Fouls conceded 29 1st

Only Jan Vertonghen has played more minutes for Spurs this season and no player has won more tackles, with only Kyle Walker making more interceptions.

Mauricio Pochettino (L) and Victor Wanyama celebrate
Image: Victor Wanyama has emerged as a key player for Mauricio Pochettino

As expected, Wanyama has committed the most fouls for Tottenham - he actually ranks fifth overall in the Premier League this season. However, he has improved on his card count. He has been booked only once in his last 11 Spurs appearances, a marked improvement on his record of three red cards in the previous 11 months.

It's all set up for a fascinating contest this Sunday between the first ever Armenian and first Kenyan to play in the Premier League. The midfield battle could have a decisive impact on the outcome of the game.

Around Sky