Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has explained holding back Henrikh Mkhitaryan earlier this season.

Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United last summer from Borussia Dortmund for £26million off the back of a stunning Bundesliga season.

"The way Micki dealt with it [being out of the team] is different to how other players do it," Mourinho told BBC 2's The Premier League Show.

"He realised that he was not ready for this reality. Physical, mental, competitiveness.

"Also for his body to adapt to that physicality to that intensity, the little time to recover from match to match is hard."