Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the forgotten man of Arsenal. And perhaps that is no surprise as his arrival from Manchester United was overshadowed by star forward Alexis Sanchez moving the other way.
Even his underwhelming form for the Gunners was overshadowed by the ongoing woes of Mesut Ozil and dwarfed by the focus on Sanchez’s own struggles at Old Trafford.
Then, just 20 months after joining the Gunners, Mkhitaryan was on his way to Roma in a season-long loan agreement.
The Armenian star never truly replicated his successes with Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund in England.
Despite a promising debut campaign at United when he netted 11 goals to help Jose Mourinho’s side win the League Cup and Europa League, his spell was blighted by inconsistency.
A series of niggling injuries also limited him to just 15 Premier League starts that campaign, and he was never able to establish himself as a first-choice starter at Old Trafford. Mkhitaryan’s move to Arsenal was designed to rediscover the spark he had shown so often in the Bundesliga, but his hat-trick of assists on his first start - a 5-1 win over Everton - was a false dawn.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the headline signing for the Gunners in the same winter transfer window that Mkhitaryan arrived, and the immediate impact and consistent output of the Gabonese striker - a former Dortmund team-mate - exposed his own inconsistencies.
Versatility and adaptability, one of Mkhitaryan’s biggest strengths, has conversely been a weakness in England.
He is best-suited to playing in any of the three attacking midfield roles in a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, that has seen him sometimes regarded as a jack of all trades, but the master of none - struggling to make any one position his own and being positionally switched depending on the other personnel available. A talisman at international level, Mkhitaryan thrived under responsibility and being the star figure, but has struggled in a more peripheral capacity.
Limited to just eight league starts for Roma, he has netted six goals, although perhaps tellingly all but one were scored against sides in the bottom half of the division. There have also been four assists.
As shown by website WhoScored.com, Mkhitaryan’s best performances have come in a central attacking area behind the main striker, but just four of his 11 starts in all competitions have been in that position. He has also been deployed on the left and right of an attacking midfield trio, and even once in a central midfield role.
Now aged 31, it feels like the next few months have the potential to define the playmaker’s career. Despite troublesome ankle injuries which have limited his game-time, Mkhitaryan’s form and consistency has appeared to return somewhat at Roma.
As with Roma team-mate Chris Smalling, plus other Premier League alumni such as Ashley Young and Romelu Lukaku, the reduced intensity and greater tactical focus of the Italian league have provided conditions in which the player can thrive.
Earlier this month, Mkhitaryan dropped a strong hint that he would like to remain at the Serie A club beyond this campaign. He told "A Day With…" a programme sponsored by the Italian embassy in Armenia: “Since the day I arrived here in Rome, I feel very good in the club, in the city, and of course it would be nice to stay here.”
It is unlikely the attacking midfielder will find a place in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad next season.
Record signing Nicolas Pepe has begun to establish himself on the right flank of the attack ahead of Reiss Nelson, while Mesut Ozil, Buyako Sako and Dani Ceballos can occupy the more central roles with Aubameyang often on the left.
So Mkhitaryan’s hint that he would prefer to stay at Roma may prove decisive.
He has made just 58 appearances for Arsenal, but at a time when finances are under pressure and Arteta is keen to reshape his squad, his future at the club looks increasingly in doubt.
