Arsenal confirm Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League final

 

Arsenal have confirmed Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League final against Chelsea due to security fears.

 

This season’s final is being contested in Baku, Azerbaijan and there are concerns about Mkhitaryan’s safety.

 

Due to political tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the place of Mkhitaryan’s birth, Arsenal will not risk the 30-year-old’s safety in Baku.

 

“We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea,” a statement read on Arsenal’s official website.

 

“We have thoroughly explored all the options for Micki to be part of the squad but after discussing this with Micki and his family we have collectively agreed he will not be in our travelling party.

 

“We have written to UEFA expressing our deep concerns about this situation. Micki has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective.”

 

 

Mkhitaryan’s absence is indeed a big blow to Arsenal’s hopes of beating Chelsea and qualifying for a place in next season’s Champions League, as the former Manchester United creator is a specialist in the competition.

 

In fact, only Athletic Club striker Artiz Aduriz (30) has played a direct hand in more Europa League goals over the last four campaigns than Mkhitaryan (18), who netted in the 2016/17 final for United.