Henrikh Mkhitaryan takes dig at Jose Mourinho saying he looks forward to playing ‘offensive football’ at Arsenal ahead of his debut with the club

HENRIKH MKHITARYAN appears to have taken a jab at former-boss Jose Mourinho’s style of play.

The new Arsenal signing said he is looking forward to playing “offensive football” at the Emirates ahead of his likely debut in Swansea tonight.

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January’s high profile transfer saw the Armenian midfielder arrive at the Emirates to make way for Alexis Sanchez’s £500,000-a-week move to Old Trafford.

While he has praised his “demanding” yet “respectful” new manager, Mkhitaryan seems to ignite a feud with his last.

He told Arsenal Player: “Of course it’s very important to have respect from your manager.

“I know that he’s demanding and he likes to his players to explore. He was one of the [reasons] to join Arsenal as well because everyone knows he’s a great manager.

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“I’ve known him for a long time and of course it was not very difficult to make this decision to come to Arsenal, because I think the way that Arsenal play [makes] it a dream for every player to come here and play offensive football.”

The Armenia captain’s national team coach Artur Petrosyan claimed there was a “problem” between Mkhitaryan and Mourinho in the months leading up to his exit.

SCARRED Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger fears Henrikh Mkhitaryan may be damaged after Manchester United struggles

Petrosyan believes the 29-year-old’s recent poor performances at his old club were due to a sour relationship with the boss, which will be solved with his move to Arsenal.

Mkhitaryan is set to make his debut for the Gunners tonight in the Premier League clash against Swansea where they will need three points to stay in reach of the top-four.