Jose Mourinho says Paul Pogba will prove a ‘bargain’, so what does that make Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

Mkhitaryan’s £26m summer move to United was largely overshadowed by the arrival of Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – both of whom carry, and embrace, a celebrity status which in turn welcomed a whole new wave of media attention to Old Trafford.

And although the Mkhitaryan name did not transmit such gravitas, a lot was expected of the Armenian, having been named in Bundesliga’s Team of the Season before his departure from Borussia Dortmund.

However, Mkhitaryan’s time at United started poorly, and got even worse when an injury ruled the midfielder out for almost two months.

To much bemusement, his absence from match-day squads continued upon returning to training, and Mourinho was eventually forced to admit that Mkhitaryan was struggling both with his fitness and the demands of the Premier League.

Fresh doubts were therefore cast on this once standout Bundesliga performer as to whether he could cut the mustard in England.

But then in December, the tide turned for Mkhitaryan, with two match-winning performances coming in the space of four days. He finally opened his account for United by scoring the first goal in a 2-0 Europa League victory at Zorya Luhansk, before then netting the solitary goal in a narrow 1-0 win at home to Tottenham in the league.

Then followed a moment of magic on Boxing Day. A scorpion-kick goal which will go down as one of the greatest Premier League goals ever scored.

Not only has the 28-year-old started every league match since that goal, but he has started to justify his fee with a string of impressive performances. Coupled with Ibrahimovic’s goalscoring run and it’s not surprising to see why United are on a roll, having lost just once in their last 24 games.

And with Mourinho recently stating that Pogba’s £89m fee will soon become commonplace in football, it would be intriguing to hear his thoughts on the now-seemingly paltry amount spent on Mkhitaryan.

For under a third of the price that Pogba cost, Mourinho has in Mkhitaryan an attacking midfielder who is comfortable in any position behind the striker – handing him an advantage over the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

And while five goals and five assists is a decent offering from Mkhitaryan after 23 games for United, his recent exploits (Exhibit A below) suggest he will only become more integral as the season continues with United fighting for glory on three cup fronts.

From fringe to focal point, it appears Mkhitaryan has proved the early doubters wrong - whether Mourinho was in that camp we can't be so sure, but it's clear the manager's public words regarding the midfielder sparked him into life. A stroke of genius, perhaps, but more likely just the emergence of something which always felt inevitable.

The first chance for silverware this season falls United’s way this weekend, and victory over Southampton in the EFL Cup final would cap a fine comeback for Mkhitaryan – though if he continues in this rich vein of form, you get the feeling his best is yet to come.