The summer signing from Borussia Dortmund will be on the cover of United Review on Sunday, having granted an exclusive interview to the official matchday programme earlier in the week. After training, he donned a blue United polo shirt and a casual but trendy-looking pair of jeans, and arrived promptly. He also had other assignments with the media and must have guessed the line of questioning.
He was asked about his relationship with the manager, his spell out of the team following the Manchester derby in the Premier League and his adaptation to the English top flight. He answered everything articulately and took time to rubbish a report he had piled on the muscle in an attempt to improve his physical capabilities.
Not only that, Micki looked perfectly relaxed and at ease in front of the cameras, not only communicating in good English but also speaking other languages, when required, for overseas TV stations. He looked happy and exuded confidence, refusing to believe United are out of the title race and pointing to the drama at the end of the 2011/12 season, when the Reds surrendered an eight-point lead to neighbours City with only six games to go.
It showed a great knowledge of the game here in England and there is no doubting his desire to make his mark in the division. There are differences, of course, to the Bundesliga. "Oh, I think the football is much more intense in the Premier League," he declared. "It’s definitely more intensive here. There are more battles on the pitch and it’s a high-tempo game."
Yet, he is adapting and showed at Everton he is more than capable of holding his own in physical battles. Indeed, he shrugged off Tom Cleverley and Gareth Barry to feed Michael Carrick for the chance that Ander Herrera smacked against the woodwork. It was almost the deciding moment at Goodison Park – a point made by Jose Mourinho after the win at Zorya Luhansk ("If you want to compare this match tonight with the Everton match, we can. 1-0 up, complete control, Herrera hit the post, no 2-0, they score. Today, 1-0, last 10 minutes, we score the second goal, game over.")
Mkhitaryan laughed when I asked about his work during that build-up and showing his strength on that occasion. "I was trying to do my best, yes," he replied. "I knew the meaning of the game. I knew it was not going to be very easy and I was aware it was going to be a big fight on the pitch – not only a football game but always too much body contact and everything like that. I was mentally ready for that match and I think, yes, I did well."
Mentally, the Armenian appears to have real resolve. It was not easy being on the sidelines after making such a big move but his response has clearly impressed the manager. There is all manner of speculation about United's players, constantly, but here is a guy who ignored all what was written about him and knuckled down to prove his worth. He looked chilled, confident and, above all, determined to show what all the fuss has been about.
When the deal was set up with Dortmund, I did plenty of research into the 27-year-old and he seemed a fascinating and unique character. There was something utterly compelling about his story and his outlook and I saw nothing to change my mind on this front. I also studied YouTube videos of him in action, as I'm sure most fans do these days, and noted how he linked superbly with his colleagues, particularly during his time in Germany.
Goals and assists were racked up as his unselfish nature always looked for the best option for the team when breaking through the opposition ranks. He also took a mean corner, which helped those assist statistics, although he explained to me he is not on regular set-piece duty yet at United (even if I then noted he did take them in Odessa). Watching him combine with Wayne Rooney in particular in the EFL Cup tie against West Ham, it was impossible not to be excited by what the future might hold.
I finished the interview by asking Henrikh what it would mean to score his first goal for the club. He smiled and said he was looking forward to that moment and hoped it would come "very soon". Having heard his confident tone and clear belief in his own ability, it was easy to think along similar lines. And, a couple of days later, in a country where he used to live and ply his trade, those words rang true.
After the transfer was announced, I called Tom Jones – the former Armenia coach – and he provided an excellent insight into working with the young Mkhitaryan. I remember Jones saying: "He's one of them – a glider," and that has stuck with me. It was in my mind seconds after the United no.22 had cruised through the gears to dismantle a defence that had looked pretty resolute for much of their entire Europa League campaign.
It was the same move he had shown in glimpses on other occasions in the Premier League, including once at Hull City, when I remember being frustrated from the stands when he was cynically fouled after one such surge forward. This time, nobody could get near him and his finish, all in one movement, passing the ball into the net with absolute conviction, meant you would never have guessed this was a guy still waiting for his first United strike.
Yes, it was cool. More evidence that the word is a perfect one to describe our "midfield Armenian", as his terrace chant goes. Like most, if not all United fans, I have been excited by what Mkhitaryan can bring to the team. After meeting him this week and seeing him score with such style, that excitement has only intensified.
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