Why Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed Red Devils’ disappointing draw against Stoke
Armenian had returned to training last week but spent Saturday night dining with Man City's Nolito
MANCHESTER UNITED could have done with Henrikh Mkhitaryan's creative flair as they lumbered to a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke on Sunday.
But for the sixth consecutive game, the £30million summer signing watched from the sidelines despite returning to training last week.
The Armenian international hasn't featured since he picked up a knock in the 2-1 defeat against rivals Manchester City in September and it was expected that he would make a return, at least to the substitute bench against the Potters.
However instead of preparing for the match with the rest of his teammates on Saturday evening at the Lowry hotel, Mkhitaryan spent his time having dinner with Manchester City's Nolito at the swanky San Carlo restaurant.
And the 27-year-old missed the Premier League clash as Manchester United want the playmaker to fully recover from his thigh injury.
With Armenia set to face a double header of World Cup qualifiers against Romania and Poland, United have requested that Mkhitaryan misses out because he is "not yet able to train fully without restrictions."