Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has earned praise for his match-changing substitute appearance in yesterday evening’s Serie A win against Salernitana.
As L’Interista highlights, the player ratings for the match across Italian media all scored the Armenian veteran very highly.
Mkhitaryan did not start at the Stadio Arechi yesterday.
The 34-year-old had started in every single one of Inter’s matches across all competitions prior to yesterday. But he got the chance to take a breather on the bench.
Davide Klaassen made his full debut for the Nerazzurri in Mkhitaryan’s place. Davide Frattesi and Stefano Sensi, meanwhile, were both out with injuries.
It was not necessarily a bad first-half performance, but in truth the midfield lacked some balance and control.
Then, at the start of the second half, little seemed to be changing in that respect.
Therefore, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi decided to take action. Well before the hour mark, the coach made a raft of substitutions, including putting Mkhitaryan on.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Praised As Impact Sub Vs Salernitana
Former Roma and Arsenal midfielder Mkhitaryan once again gave a clear demonstration of his value to Inter.
Despite his age, the Armenian gave a boost in terms of energy in midfield. He was able to regularly take up the right positions both in and out of possession.
And Mkhitaryan also became a major organizer of the Nerazzurri’s possession game.
The 34-year-old regularly put his foot on the ball and spotted the right passes to keep the match moving along at the tempo that Inter wanted it to.
It was not the most eye-catching of performances from Mkhitaryan.
The Armenian, who had scored twice in the Milan derby, didn’t score or assist a goal.
But he didn’t have to. The veteran midfielder was still a key factor in Inter’s ability to wrestle back control of a match that was threatening to get away from them.
