Manchester United defender Daley Blind has welcomed the return of Henrikh Mkhitaryan back into the side, with the Armenian back in the first team fold having missed United’s last two fixtures. The former Borussia Dortmund man missed the EFL Cup final victory over Southampton and last weekend’s 1-1 draw in the Premier League with Bournemouth, and Blind, who could feature alongside Mkhitaryan on Thursday night against FC Rostov in the Europa League, is particularly pleased to see him back on the pitch.
In quotes carried by Manutd.com, Blind said: “I’m very happy Micki is back; he’s a great player with a lot of qualities, so of course we’re happy that he’s back on the pitch again with us,” Blind said.
“Micki’s a very smart player. You can always reach him – he always makes good runs. It’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Blind is also under no illusions as to the stiff test that awaits United in Russia, but the former Ajax defender is prepared for what lies ahead:
“We’re here to win, we want to get a good result but we know in our minds it’s over two games, so we have to be smart and adapt in the game if that’s needed. We know there is always a second leg at home at Old Trafford – we are aware of that but the first thing is we want to win here and score a goal. That’s how we look at it.”
