It´s not easy to be worth £89m – Mkhitaryan urges patience with Pogba

Manchester United forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan says Paul Pogba still needs time to adapt to life back at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho sanctioned a world-record transfer, initially worth £89.3million, to bring France international Pogba back to the club from Juventus last August.

The 23-year-old has struggled to find consistent form in Mourinho’s side, however, and was again a disappointment in United’s 0-0 draw with Hull City on Thursday.

But Mkhitaryan believes some critics are expecting too much from the midfielder and insists that it is not easy to cope with the pressure of such a price tag.

“He has a very big potential and I know he is able to do it much better because he is able to do it and he has showed us quite a lot,” he told Sky Sports News.

“He needs a little bit more time to adapt because it’s not very easy to be worth £89m.

“For him, it is a little bit hard because he is still 23 years old and maybe he is thinking he needs to do more than he’s doing but I know with the manager he is going to find the solution to solve it and he’s trying to do it already.

“Maybe people are waiting for something extraordinary from him, some miracles, but everyone has to know he’s a football player, a human being, so he just has to play the way he can play and he will do better.”

Mkhitaryan himself found it difficult to adapt following a move from Borussia Dortmund but has established himself in the starting XI with a series of encouraging performances in the last two months.

The Armenia international says keeping a positive mindset is crucial for any player who is struggling to find form and credited the rest of the squad for helping him to settle.

“I really enjoy my life in Manchester, my training, my games, everything,” he said. “I have settled very well and I’m working very hard to get better because I know I can do more.

“Coming to Manchester, maybe I didn’t show all my potential but in every game I’m trying to do my best because it’s very important for me, the fans and the club. Maybe in some games it doesn’t work, but I still keep working and trying to improve.

“You cannot always have good times in your life. Sometimes you have black days and maybe I wasn’t expecting that but I was ready because I had such a situation in Dortmund already.

“Everything comes from your mind. You have to push yourself to get things going in your direction. If you are stubborn, nothing will help. If you are sad, nothing will help. You have to keep positive and to work very well for your next chance.

“The players are very friendly and you can settle very quickly here because everyone tries to help you. The club tries to find solutions if you have any problems so I think coming here after just one or two months I already felt I was part of Manchester.”