Quote:Henrikh Mkhitaryan has thanked everyone at Manchester United for their support during his one-and-a-half year stay at the club.

The Armenia international joined another Premier League club, Arsenal, on Monday evening as Alexis Sanchez moved in the opposite direction to Old Trafford.

After his switch to the Gunners was confirmed, Mkhitaryan released a statement on his official Instagram account which read: "I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Manchester United players and staff, and especially the fans for your love, passion and support. I enjoyed having the honour of contributing to the history of your great club by winning the Europa League.

"I will always cherish the memory of that moment and that match. And of my Boxing Day scorpion kick and of hearing the song “Whoa Mkhitaryan...” every time I stepped onto the pitch. I could name many more memories, I enjoyed every moment we shared and cheered together.

"At this stage of my career, I simply have to enjoy myself on the pitch and play. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the best of luck to all of you! Life goes on."

A CLASSY GESTURE

Mkhitaryan also revealed on Twitter that he will donate a United shirt signed by all of the players to help children affected by cancer in his native Armenia, as a special thank you to everyone who contributed to his documentary 'Micki: An Armenian Hero', which aired on MUTV in November.

REDS PAY TRIBUTE TO MICKI

After news of Mkhitaryan's move was announced, many United players used social media to wish their friend well at the Emirates Stadium.

Juan Mata tweeted: "All the best and enjoy my friend."

Ashley Young tweeted a picture of him with Micki, along with the message: "All the best, my friend."

Zlatan posted on his Instagram story: "Luck you don't need, just enjoy your game."

On his own Instagram story, Jesse Lingard said: "All the best brother."

Ander Herrera simply summed up Micki in one word: "Gentleman."

Romelu Lukaku said on Instagram: "My bro, good luck. I will miss you."

GOOD LUCK AT ARSENAL

Mkhitaryan joined the Reds from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund in July 2016, making his competitive debut as a substitute in United’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.

It was the first of three trophies that the 29-year-old helped the club to win in his first and only full season, with the League Cup and UEFA Europa League to follow.

The midfielder went on to make 63 Reds appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals. His last outing came in the Emirates FA Cup third-round win over Derby County at Old Trafford on 5 January.

Jose Mourinho praised Mkhitaryan for his contribution to the team, saying: “I would like to wish Henrikh all the success and happiness that I am sure he is going to get. He is a player that we will not forget, especially for his contribution to our Europa League victory.”

Everyone at the club echoes the manager's sentiments and wishes Henrikh all the best for the future.

Quote:Manchester United is delighted to announce the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a deal that sees the Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction.

Speaking about his transfer, Alexis Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world. I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans. The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”

Jose Mourinho commented: “Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players. He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige.

“I would like to wish Henrikh all the success and happiness that I am sure he is going to get. He is a player that we will not forget, especially for his contribution to our Europa League victory.”

how soon can you watch the match after you have paid the subs

Jose Mourinho has reported that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return to action for Manchester United before the end of the year.

The striker - who suffered knee ligament damage last season - could be fit for the visit of Premier League leaders Manchester City next month, live on Sky Sports.

And The Sun newspaper are reporting that both he and Paul Pogba are in contention to play against Newcastle this weekend.

The 35-year-old returned to training at Carrington in October and Mourinho said he had a "feeling" the Swede would be back by the end of 2017.

"He is a lion, he is a fighter," Mourinho said. "I think that is a good description of him, he has the anger all the time and that's the reason why he's almost coming back.

Read more at http://www.skysports.com/football/news/1...ear-is-out

Quote:West Ham have announced David Moyes as their new manager on a six-month contract.

The 54-year-old, whose Sunderland side were relegated from the Premier League last season, succeeds Slaven Bilic, who was sacked on Monday with West Ham 18th in the table.