Man United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss Armenia’s 2 World Cup qualifiersOctober 3, 2016 - 12:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Manchester United have requested that Henrikh Mkhitaryan does not turn out for Armenia this international break, the Daily Mail reports. The 27-year-old summer signing from Borussia Dortmund has not played for three weeks because of a thigh problem and United want him to continue rehabilitating. Mkhitaryan started training with the rest of Jose Mourinho’s squad at Carrington last week but United wrote to the Armenian Football Federation to ask if they could leave their captain out. He is set to miss two crucial World Cup qualifiers against Romania and Poland after an opening games defeat by Denmark. Mourinho had appeared to indicate that Mkhitaryan would be fit for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City at Old Trafford, but that game was deemed too early. He has made just one start for United since the £26million switch, the Manchester derby defeat during which the midfielder played just 45 minutes. United penned a letter asking if Mkhitaryan could be withdrawn from the national team and in it they claimed he is not yet completing full training. Club doctor Steve McNally wrote: "Although his progress has been good over the past week, he is participating in limited aspects of team training and is not yet able to train fully without restrictions or play competitively. "In view of that I would be grateful if he could be allowed to withdraw from the National Team for the forthcoming training camp and FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches in order to remain in Manchester to complete his rehabilitation." Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. |