Mkhitaryan Driven By Memory Of Late Father

Henrikh Mkhitaryan says the memory of his late father drives him to be the best player he can be.

The 27-year-old arrived at Manchester United earlier this summer in a £26.3m deal from Borussia Dortmund having been voted Bundesliga Player of the Season.

Mkhitaryan's father, Hamlet, was also a footballer, but died of a brain tumour at just 33 and the midfielder is determined to do his family proud.

"He was my drive, so he was my motivation because when I was young he was playing football professionally and I was always dreaming to go with him to the training ground," he said.

"It was my dream to continue his work and also be a football player. I hope he is proud looking at me from the sky. I try to do everything to make him proud.

"It is very difficult when you grow up without a father, because in the family you don't have a real man who can give you direction and discipline. My mother was my mother and my father."

Mkhitaryan added 15 assists and 11 goals in Germany last season and says his move to the Premier League is a dream come true.

"It's one of the teams I was supporting when I was a child," he added. "I was always proud of the way they were playing, so it's a dream to play for them."

Credit: Skysports.com