Arsene Wenger is confident that Henrikh Mkhitaryan can put his Manchester United struggles behind him and perform for Arsenal.

Mkhitaryan completed his move to the club on Monday evening after one-and-a-half seasons at United. He arrived in England with a big reputation as the Bundesliga Player of the Season, but couldn’t quite replicate his form for the Red Devils.

Eventually, he lost his place in the starting line-up and the confidence of his manager, Jose Mourinho. For Wenger, the move to Arsenal is a chance to put that all behind him.

“Yes, of course you worry about how much it has affected him,” he said, when asked if the Armenian’s confidence could be damaged.

“But as well but it’s a new chance for him, what you want in life is a new chance and I’m sure with his quality that he will take it. I met him at the time (he moved to United), at the time we were close but in the end it didn’t work.”

The theory is that Arsenal will suit Mkhitaryan better than United did. He’ll see plenty of the ball in midfield and will likely have less defensive responsibility. Wenger is also more willing to give players a chance and is more forgiving of mistakes than Mourinho is.

It’s difficult for any player to rediscover their from straight away, however. Hopefully, a new environment, a new style of football and a fresh chance to impress will give Mkhitaryan the impetus to improve.