Henrikh Mkhitaryan 'nearly joined Liverpool'
Sunday 15 January 2017 10:57, UK
Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed he very nearly joined Liverpool when Brendan Rodgers was Anfield boss.
Mkhitaryan lines up for United against the Reds on Sunday afternoon, but it could easily have been the other way around.
The midfielder was playing in Ukraine in 2013 when Rodgers tried to persuade him to come to Liverpool, dangling the carrot of playing with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard.
But Mkhitaryan says he did not feel ready back then for the physical rigours of the Premier League and chose instead to join Borussia Dortmund – managed by current Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
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“I spoke two or three times on the phone to Brendan Rodgers. He was saying he really wanted me and that I'd get to play with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard,” he told the Mail.
“Half of me thought I had to go there, the other half was not so confident, that the gap to the Premier League might be too big for a skinny player from the Ukrainian League.
“Two weeks later, Jurgen Klopp broke off his holiday on an island next to Denmark to come and see me in Dortmund.
“I knew he had a good reputation for working with younger players and, after we met, I felt more comfortable to sign for Dortmund. I think I made the right decision.”
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