Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan feels that whilst there is disappointment at Milan Skriniar’s decision to leave the club in the summer, it’s a professional decision that must be respected.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInter1908, the 34-year-old gave his thoughts on his teammate’s decision to leave and join Paris Saint-Germain in the summer as well as a number of other topics related to the Nerazzurri.

Even though the dust has started to settle around Skriniar’s decision to reject Inter’s offer of a contract extension to join PSG on a free transfer, the sense remains that it has sent shockwaves through the whole team and fanbase.

It is natural that the players in the squad will have some feelings of disappointment about the manner in which the 28-year-old is leaving, although at the same time, there is an understanding of his reasons as a professional.

“I’m very sad to see Skriniar leave this team and join PSG, but ultimately I have to accept his decision, because it’s his career and he’s the only one responsible for his choices,” Mkhitaryan said of his teammate.

“I just have to thank him for the six months that we’ve already played together, and the five more that we have left,” he went on.

The Armanian then stated that “The captain’s armband doesn’t mean much, he deserved to wear the armband, but now it’s on Lautaro, and in any case our captain remains Handanovic.”

Mkhitaryan noted that “Skriniar remains an absolutely top-level player, and even without the armband he’ll still be the same player.”

The midfielder then spoke about the feeling of recent successes against city rivals AC Milan, noting that “Winning two derbies in eighteen days is crazy, we really wanted to win both games.”

“The first of the two also represented a chance to lift a trophy, the Supercoppa, and we gave everything to win it, and then we took the confidence we gained from winning and threw ourselves into the league match at the start of February.”

“We were very ready for it, we played at home in front of our fans, and we once again proved that we deserved to win,” Mkhitaryan went on.

The former Roma midfielder said that “It’s a truly incredible feeling, and we’re very happy that Milan is now Nerazzurri.”

Of the criticism that the team has faced for some of their form this season, Mkhitaryan reflected that “We’re always the first people to criticize outselves, we knew where we’ve had room to improve, and where we should have done better at the start of the season.”

“But then we talked to each other and understood things amongst ourselves,” he added.

The Armenian reflected that “In the end it doesn’t matter what happened at the beginning of the season, the important thing is what we can do in the future.”

“I’m not going to reveal everything, but there were moments in the locker room where we confronted each other as a group, and what happens in there stays in there because we’re a family and anything can happen in a family.”

“The important thing is that we all discussed things and concluded that the most important thing is that we move forward and fight for this shirt,” the midfielder added.

The 34-year-old noted that “There are still seventeen matches left to go, and we believe anything is possible.”

“We’ll play for our chances in the league, and then see where we are at the end of the season.”

Asked about what he considers to be his style of play and best position, Mkhitaryan responded that “I still feel that in terms of my characteristics, I’m a number ten.”

“Occasionally I miss playing in that role, but I play in a different system now and so I operate further back on the pitch.”

“I’ve always liked playing behind the forward as a second striker,” the Armenian noted, “but I’m playing every match, and I’m just happy to be able to help the team in this new role for me.”

“In the end, winning is what makes me happy, although maybe one day I’d like to return to playing my former position,” Mkhitaryan reflected.

Asked who he considers to be his idol, Mkhitaryan replied that “My idol is still Zidane, I’d like to take his vision and technique.”

And as to the most impressive talent he’s played alongside the 34-year-old named an Inter teammate, stating that “Barella remains the player with the most potential that I’ve played with.”

Asked what the most difficult match of the current season has been, Mkhitaryan said that “The most difficult match this season was definitely the one against Barcelona.”

“That match gave us a lot of confidence, especially the one we played at home.”

“We’re a very good team, playing against Barcelona and winning at home, drawing at the Camp Nou, in my opinion gave us a lot of confidence, and we’ve built our path forward based around that confidence,” he went on.