Henrikh Mkhitaryan was widely criticised after his display for Arsenal against Bournemouth on Sunday and it got some fans wondering…

Who got the worst deal, Arsenal or Manchester United?

While Arsenal fans will be quick to tell you they had already written Alexis Sanchez of as a wasteman before he left for United, we aren’t so quick to acknowledge than many Manchester United fans said the same about Henrikh Mkhitaryan who has struggled to live up to his Bundesliga hype since he arrived in England just two-and-a-half years ago.

Speaking in the summer about Mkhitaryan, Mourinho was asked about how the Armenian dealt with not playing. “It is not hard, it is impossible,” Mourinho said. “It depends on the nature of the player.

“The way Myhki dealt with it, is different to other players.

“He realised he was not ready for this reality – physical, mental, competitiveness.

“Also his body, to adapt to that intensity with little time to recover from match to match, is hard.”

Mkhitaryan was a surprise starter against Bournemouth at the expense of Mesut Ozil. Even more surprising was the fact he remained on the pitch for the full 90 minutes despite stinking up the place.

So let’s look at the two players since they moved and see if we can work out who got the worst deal.

So who got the worst deal?

As much as Mkhitaryan has struggled, it seems pretty clear that Arsenal ended up better off for their swap deal with Manchester United, but did they really?

Click next to find out..

Appearances

Alexis Sanchez has played 30 games for Manchester United, totalling 2,174 minutes

Henrikh Mkhitaryan as played 32 games for Arsenal, totalling 2,262minutes.

Therefore, in terms of time on the pitch, the pair are practically identical.

Worst deal: Tied

Next, goals…

Goals

Alexis is goalscorer and Mkhitaryan is a midifelder so these are not really stats they should be compared on, however, Alexis has four United goals while Mkhitaryan has five for Arsenal.

Again, not much between them but Alexis is expected to score much more than a midfielder so this one has to go to Mkhi.

Worst deal: United

Next, assists…

Assists

With Alexis expected to score goals we can expect Mkhitaryan to create and he’s doing that at a marginally better rate than the Chilean.

Alexis has seven assists for United, Mkhitaryan has nine for Arsenal.

Worst deal: United

Next, wages…

Wages

Unlike the previous two categories, this is not a close contest at all. Mkhitaryan earns £140k-per-week with Arsenal. Alexis is on 3.5 times that, picking up an astonishing £500kpw.

Worst deal: United

Next, impact on squad…

Impact on squad

Alexis is known as a bit of a loaner while it’s hard to find anyone who has a bad thing to say about Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Alexis is not afraid to show his displeasure, be it over a misplaced pass or being subbed off and his attitude is one of a player playing for himself rather than the team.

Worst deal: United

Next, verdict…

Verdict

Although on the face of it, it might seem like neither club did very well from this swap, it’s clear United got the worst end of the deal by a distance.

That, however, is little solace to Arsenal fans who are watching Mkhitaryan struggle at the minute.