With the international break upon us, we take a look at four players to watch before league action resumes.
1Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenia
The ever so graceful Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been a standout performer for Manchester United this season and will want to build on that with a good showing for his country.
Having struggled to break into United’s starting XI earlier this season, the club’s fans are now left disappointed when the tricky Armenian is not in the starting line-up. His ability to find top gear so easily is mightily impressive, and he seems to move quicker with the ball than he does without it.
However, Mkhitaryan falls into the category that many other United players have fallen into before him, and that is playing for a country that fails to participate in a major tournament.
For example players like George Best, Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov never made an appearance at either a European Championship or a World Cup for their country. Now, the 28-year-old will be hoping that he can break that hoodoo and lead Armenia to the 2018 World Cup.
A win against Kazakhstan could help that dream materialize into reality; as those three points could help Armenia leapfrog Romania. However, they are in a difficult group alongside Poland, Denmark, and Montenegro who boast of a much larger national pool. Many believe that Mkhitaryan could be the catalyst for Armenia enjoying some success in their quest for World Cup qualification.
