Gundogan tips rival to thrive

HENRIKH Mkhitaryan has been tipped to thrive with Manchester United by former Borussia Dortmund team-mate and future rival Ilkay Gundogan.

Mkhitaryan is on the verge of completing his move to Old Trafford in a transfer thought to be worth around £26 million, ending his three-year stint in the Bundesliga.

Having underwhelmed in his first two years at the Westfalenstadion, the Armenian midfielder came to the fore last term with a division-high 15 assists seeing him named the Bundesliga's players' player of the season while he was also included in the top-flight team of the campaign.

And Gundogan, who has also left Dortmund this summer to sign for United's rivals Manchester City, believes his former midfield partner will shine if he can hit the ground running under Jose Mourinho.

"He (Henrikh) has been at Dortmund for three years. The first two years were not so easy for him, to be honest," Gundogan told the Manchester Evening News.

"He's a player who needs self-confidence, who needs to play every time and prove himself to get better and better. At this time, we were not so successful, so it was not easy for him to adapt. He had a few problems.

"But when you see how he played last year, it was really incredible. Maybe he was the most important player for us last year. If he can go on like this, he will have a big, big impact for Manchester United, and a big plus. I wish him the best, and to stay healthy."