Henrikh Mkhitaryan says he’s “very disappointed” to have to miss the Europa League final after Arsenal ruled him out of travelling to Baku. The Armenia international’s safety was a concern due to the dispute between his country and host nation Azerbaijan. Therefore the Gunners have decided against him travelling to Baku for next Wednesday’s game with their fellow English side, Chelsea.
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A statement read thus: “We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea. “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. “We’re also very sad that a player will miss out on a major European final in circumstances such as this, as it is something that comes along very rarely in a footballer’s career.
“Micki will continue to be part of our preparations until we depart for Baku at the weekend.” The former Manchester United man admitted he is “hurt” to miss the showpiece event. He tweeted: “Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the #UEL Final against #Chelsea.
“It’s the kind of game that doesn’t come along very often for us players and I must admit, it hurts me a lot to miss it. “I will be cheering my teammates on! Let’s bring it home @Arsenal.”
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