Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived at Manchester United last year with a lofty reputation, but he never lived up to expectations in his first season at the club.

The Armenian made the move from Dortmund to Man United at the start of last season for £30 million, but he struggled to establish himself as a key player as he struggled to adapt to life in England.

However, it looked as if he would fulfil his promise as he started this season magnificently.

Mkhitaryan was a key factor in Manchester United's flying start to the season, as he racked up a mightily impressive five assists from his opening three games in the league.

The 28-year-old then added a goal to his name in his side's 4-0 demolition of Everton, leading to many identifying him as an early season Player of the Year contender.

MKHITARYAN'S PERFORMANCES HAVE GONE RAPIDLY DOWNHILL

However, Mkhitaryan's brilliant start to the season has since come to an abrupt halt.

Since scoring at Everton, the former Dortmund player has not registered a goal or an assist in the league.

In all competitions, he has scored twice in 16 appearances; simply not good enough for someone of his standards.

His performances have been so bad that Jose Mourinho decided to drop Mkhitaryan altogether for the recent games against Newcastle and Basel.

THE MIRROR CLAIM MOURINHO HAS DROPPED HIM FOR A REASON

And the Mirror have claimed that Mourinho has dropped Mkhitaryan not just because of his poor performances, but because he feels a period away from the team will be of benefit to him.

The Mirror claim that the Man United manager thinks dropping him will jolt the player from his slumber and help him rediscover his best form.

This was a tactic Mourinho used on Mkhitaryan last year, when after a poor performance against Manchester City, the Portuguese manager decided to exile him from the first team picture for almost two months.

Mkhitaryan has shown the fight to reclaim a place in the first team before, and it is hoped he can do it again after another spell out of the team.