Manchester United face Roma in the Champions League as they aim to get back to winning ways

Henrikh Mkhitaryan once called Jose Mourinho an "enormous s***" as he struggled to impress the Manchester United boss. The midfielder eventually escaped the Portuguese manager's clutches to join Arsenal before leaving England for good.

Two of Mkhitaryan's old clubs will clash in the Champions League as United host Roma at Old Trafford tonight. The 37-year-old was more successful with the Red Devils - winning the Europa League and two domestic trophies - but his time in Manchester was arguably harder to handle.

Mkhitaryan had been impressing for Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund before he arrived in the Premier League. He joined United around the same time as Mourinho but didn't get along well with the 'Special One.'

He said: "I told him, you’ve been criticising me for a year and a half now, ever since I arrived at Manchester United. Mourinho told me I was s*** and I just lost my temper: 'You are the s***. An enormous one.'"

Unsurprisingly, this didn't go down well with Mourinho, who told Mkhitaryan: "Get out of here, I never want to see you again."

The midfielder continued: "During the training sessions, the coach said nothing to me, he remained at a religious level of silence, but every evening he’d send me a message via WhatsApp: ‘Miki, leave, please.’

"The situation had become grotesque. I’d reply every time with the same copy-and-paste response: 'I will leave if I find the right team, otherwise I’ll wait for the summer.'

"Towards the middle of January, the text changed slightly. [Mourinho said] 'Miki, please leave, that way I can get Alexis Sanchez.' Mino Raiola was working on this exchange with Arsenal.

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"So my response mutated too: 'I am not leaving just to do you a favour, and please stop writing to me. If you want, talk to Mino.' And everyone lived happily ever after."

Mkhitaryan and Sanchez did make the switch between the Premier League rivals and United were arguably the losers of this deal. At the Gunners, the Armenia international appeared 59 times and made 22 goal contributions.

On the other side of the divide, Sanchez racked up 45 appearances and scored just five goals, assisting nine times before he was loaned out to Inter Milan and eventually left for Italy on a free transfer.

Mkhitaryan also headed for Italy on a free, joining Roma and winning the first-ever Conference League. However, he won this title under Mourinho, the manager who caused him the most grief during his time in England.

Watch Man United vs Roma for free

Manchester United host AS Roma in the Champions League on November 3. Fans can watch the game for free with an Amazon Prime subscription or 30-day trial.