Press conference

Emery on Mkhitaryan missing the Baku final

Mkhitaryan

We confirmed on Tuesday that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss the Europa League final in Baku – so what is Unai Emery’s reaction to the news?

Our head coach discussed the situation with the media at London Colney and admitted it is far from an ideal situation.

"It’s bad news but we cannot do anything for this issue, it’s a very personal decision and we need to respect him," Emery said. "I don’t understand the political problems now, but I must respect [his decision].

"I spoke this morning with Mkhitaryan and it’s a personal decision. I respect him. He wants to play to help us by being with the team but they spoke, both him and his family, and decided not to go.

"I come from the Basque Country and we had a big political problem that finished five or six years ago, and I can understand it is a very personal decision for his family and also thinking in their country.

"I cannot push him to come with us because I respect him. For me, it is very important if he is with us for the match to help with his quality and capacity, but this issue is not in my hands, but I respect his decision 100 per cent."

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