COMMENT: it was always there. The talent. The potential. Henrikh Mkhitaryan hadn't suddenly become a third-rate player overnight.

You could see it in that first appearance at the DW. Yes, it was in the early days of preseason. And yes, the opposition were Wigan Athletic. But Mkhitaryan was a class above. A step ahead of anything on the pitch. From that one performance, it was clear United had found something special.

That it's taken until the fourth month of the season for the Armenian to really get to grips with the English game really shouldn't surprise. Just ask Pep Guardiola. Or better yet, his goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo. False dawns an' all that. The demands of the Premier League have clearly caught up to the Manchester City manager.

Whisper it. But perhaps this is where Mourinho's know-how comes into play. Keeping Mkhitaryan hidden away. To work on his game. To build up his frame. Well, it's now looking the stuff of genius. He's yet to complete a full 90, but match upon match, the influence has grown. The form superior from one game to the next. With every appearance, Mkhitaryan has grown. Improved. He looks a Premier League player. A Manchester United player. A matchwinner.

Jump back just a few weeks and it couldn't be more different. They said Mourinho didn't rate him. That the manager was bullying him. Another sign that 'yesterday's man' had lost the plot. We even had stories of Mkhitaryan training on his own. Isolated. Alone. Another to suffer Mou's big freeze.

The rift reached Germany, where Hans-Joachim Watzke, Borussia Dortmund's general manager, mocked Mkhitaryan, claiming they wouldn't be interested in taking him back and that he was silly to have left the club in the first place.

Of course, now the same lot that pedaled that line are claiming ownership of what really happened during the weeks between Mkhitaryan's disastrous 45 against City and what we saw on Thursday in Ukraine.

Yes, Miki could be seen at Carrington on his tod. But it had nowt to do with isolation. It was determination. To wring out every chance he had to convince Mourinho he was ready to return. Extra sessions in the gym added extra kgs to his frame. He sought out the club's dietary experts to fast-track his bodyshaping. All done while his teammates were off - and in the full view of the manager.

Those managing the gym reported back to Mourinho of the Armenian's weekend appearances. The United manager was delighted. All those assurances from Mino Raiola about Mkhitaryan's attitude and drive weren't just the Italian blowing smoke. Raiola had told Mourinho he wouldn't regret going the extra yard for the midfielder during tense negotiations with Watzke. And the feedback he was getting from staff across the Carrington complex was just what he'd hoped for.

When Mourinho recalled Mkhitaryan for the Feyenoord game, his United shirt fit just a little more snuggly. An extra three kilos of muscle had been added to his frame since his City appearance.

"He was determined to fight against his difficult adaptation," Mourinho said after Miki's goalscoring performance at Zorya. "He worked hard physically and tactically - the talent was there, we knew that when we bought him."

But Mkhitaryan is no special case. The same was said about Juan Mata. Ander Herrera. Wayne Rooney. Anthony Martial. We could keep going... after all they have. One after the other. Player after player. Mourinho is falling out with the lot of 'em. Just about every member of this United squad, under this manager, is apparently one window away from being sold.

But as Mkhitaryan has shown, it's really more about the manager actually knowing what he's doing. And for those on the fringes at Carrington, they should heed the example their teammate has set.

Mkhitaryan took Mourinho's advice on board. He applied himself. He made the sacrifices. And has been rewarded with a recall. But more importantly, by listening to his manager, he's now better equipped to make the most of this second chance.