Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United: Borussia Dortmund aim 'dig' at 'fifth-place' Premier League club

Social media users believe the club's statement included a sly jibe at United's league finish

Mark Critchley
Saturday 02 July 2016 13:19 BST
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(Getty)

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Borussia Dortmund’s announcement of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s move to Manchester United includes a dig at the Premier League club, according to users on social media.

The Bundesliga outfit declared that Mkhitaryan, a 27-year-old goal-scoring creative midfielder, would be swapping Signal Iduna Park for Old Trafford via Twitter on Saturday afternoon.

A club statement followed shortly after and many could not help but notice the sly reference to United’s poor 2015/16 league position.

“After intensive discussions, BVB has complied to the wish of the Armenian national team member; to join the fifth-place English team last season, Manchester United, for the new season.

“Borussia Dortmund wishes Henrikh Mkhitaryan all the best for the coming season in both the Premier League and in the Uefa Europa League,” the statement adds.

Dortmund, by contrast, finished Bundesliga runners-up and will return to the Champions League next term following a season-long absence.

Ilkay Gundogan’s transfer to Manchester City last month was announced with a similarly-worded statement, which made reference to City’s fourth-place 2015/16 league finish.

Dortmund have repeatedly lost some of their best players to elite clubs over the last few seasons.

Earlier this summer, Mats Hummels finally made his long-anticipated return to Bayern Munich, while the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze have also left the club.

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