Manchester United spent big during the summer of 2016, making Paul Pogba their statement signing as their former academy man turned Juventus star joined the Red Devils for a record fee, with a ludicrous £89m price tag above his head.
The club also sought to prove that they meant business by bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the building, the iconic and scarily potent striker joining the Theatre of Dreams on a free transfer deal.
Yet, there was another signing from this same transfer window that equally generated the same hype as both the Swedish striker and the Frenchman conjured up when signing on the dotted line at Man United, but is now forgotten about.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan would come and go from Old Trafford in the blink of an eye, signing from Borussia Dortmund and failing to ever really make an impact.
How much did Man United sign Mkhitaryan for?
The Armenian international would leave the Bundesliga behind for the Premier League for a substantial fee, joining Jose Mourinho's Red Devils for £26.3m – a fee at the time that felt like Man United would get their money's worth, after the winger's exciting spell in Germany.
Coming onto Dortmund's radar after scoring 25 goals from 29 starts for Shakhtar Donetsk in his final full season with the Miners, the now 34-year-old ace excelled when switching Ukraine for new pastures.
He would instantly endear himself to the Signal Iduna Park faithful, registering an impressive 19 goal contributions from 31 matches during his debut Bundesliga campaign – nine goals scored, with a further ten assists to his name.
By the time Man United snapped Mkhitaryan up, the ex-Shakhtar attacker was a crucial component to the multiple exciting, full-throttle, Dortmund teams put together by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, and the Red Devils were enthralled by the prospect of Mkhitaryan replicating his Bundesliga best in the Premier League. Dortmund, for the attacking midfielder, truly meant home.
Unfortunately, this feeling of security for the former BVB superstar would unravel when moving to England with the move to Man United ultimately disastrous.
How did Mkhitaryan perform for Man United?
Mkhitaryan's time in a Red Devils jersey saw the Armenian become unusually goal-shy, the once clinical and feared attacking midfielder now a deer in the headlights.
He would only manage an unsatisfactory five goals in the Premier League over two campaigns for the club, as Jose Mourinho's hyped up collective failed to deliver great things on the pitch domestically.
Mkhitaryan's underwhelming spell with the Red Devils was put of its misery in a winter transfer-swap deal with Alexis Sanchez in 2018, the Chilean departing Arsenal in the form of his life but equally flopping at the Theatre of Dreams.
Alternatively, Man United's £26.3m man has managed to rejuvenate his career since his exit from Old Trafford and has even linked up with Jose Mourinho again.
How has Mkhitaryan performed since leaving Man United?
Despite his Arsenal move crashing and burning in similar fashion to his failed Man United transfer – only scoring nine times and assisting 13 goals across 59 appearances – relocating back to European comforts in AS Roma has seen the Armenian's career undergo a major rebirth.
Under ex-Red Devils boss Mourinho in Rome, his electric previous goalscoring form was back. He would manage 24 goal contributions from 34 games during the 2020-21 campaign in Serie A, both Man United and Arsenal scratching their heads at why he couldn't do this in England.
Notching up 45 goals and assisting 43 since departing the Red Devils after a torrid spell, Mkhitaryan – now 34 years of age – will see out his career knowing he turned his fortunes around and put the Man United disaster firmly behind him.
