Henrikh Mkhitaryan has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career during 2020/21, showing the kind of form at Roma that convinced so many of Europe's biggest clubs to spend serious money on his services in years gone by.
It's a remarkable rejuvenation for a player who, after leaving Borussia Dortmund in 2016, struggled to adapt to life in England during spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.
His time in Blighty was relatively short, ending in 2019 after he joined Roma on a season-long loan - a temporary spell that would become permanent the following summer.
In an interview with The Athletic, Mkhitaryan has looked back on his time in Manchester and London - recalling the styles of each of the three managers he played under; Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery.
So how do they compare? And who did he enjoy working under the most? Here's what he had to say about the trio.
Mkhitaryan on working with Jose Mourinho
Mkhitaryan joined United on a four-year deal in the summer of 2016, for a fee reportedly close to £30m. There, he worked under Mourinho - a three-time Premier League winner - as he tried to lift the Red Devils back to the top of English football.
“At that time, he was one of the most successful coaches in the world," Mkhitaryan said. "I think he was the coach with the most trophies. So that was a different experience. It was very hard but I learned a lot as well. I learned how to defend, how to help the team.
"It was not only about scoring goals and making assists. It was more about the team winning so it doesn’t matter who scored, we had to win together. It didn’t matter who made the assist we must always be happy that we won the game.
“What I want to say is that I had a hard time but after the first two or three months there, I had a very good time. I won three trophies with the club, which was amazing. You know, some players have been playing in Manchester for ages but they haven’t won anything.”
Mkhitaryan on working with Arsene Wenger
Mkhitaryan's stint in Manchester was over 18 months later when he was part of the infamous swap deal that took Alexis Sanchez away from the Emirates Stadium. Upon his arrival in the capital, he buddied up with Arsene Wenger - though his time under the legendary Frenchman was brief as he mutually agreed to end his 22-year tenure in the summer of 2018.
“With Wenger, it was freedom, the freedom to move, to play with the ball. He always wanted to play with the ball. He never wanted to defend because he was always saying if we score more goals than the opponent we’re going to win the game. It was a pleasing time.
"Unfortunately, after six months he was sacked."
Mkhitaryan on working with Unai Emery
The chosen one to replace Wenger was Spanish coach Unai Emery, who has recently departed Ligue 1 super heavyweights PSG. He'd previously coached Sevilla to great success, winning countless Europa League titles, but Mkhitaryan's experience of working with him didn't leave the fondest of memories.
“Then there was Emery, so a different approach to football, a different philosophy. It was quite hard for me because I wasn’t playing a lot of the time. Most of the time I was sitting on the bench and I never like sitting on the bench because throughout my career I always wanted to play and win something.
"Emery saw football differently and was relying on other players.”
Source : 90min