“He is Eduard Spertsyan, he will never be Henrikh Mkhitaryan”: Bayramyan

The midfielder of the Armenian national team and Rostov, Khoren Bayramyan, spoke with Sport-Express about Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eduard Spertsyan. This was reported by armsport.am.

“Do you think Spertsyan will be able to replace Mkhitaryan in the leading position of the national team over time, and will the team be built around him?”

“He is Eduard Spertsyan, he will never be Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Everyone has their own path, and we can see that Edik has great potential. He is demonstrating this both in Krasnodar and in the national team matches. Therefore, many clubs are watching him closely now. I just wish Edik that his path is no less bright than that of Henrikh. The whole nation, family, and friends will be happy and joyful for him. But for that, he needs to work hard.”

“Is Mkhitaryan's absence from the national team felt strongly?”

“A player of this caliber, who has been playing in top leagues for over ten years, winning trophies and scoring in the Europa League final, is always needed. He will always help. In my opinion, the national team would have been stronger with him at any time and with any coach.”

“Have you spoken to him about why he decided to end his career with the national team? Are you hopeful he might change his mind?”

“I saw him in December when I was in Milan on business. We sat down and talked; I thank him for finding time despite his busy schedule at Inter. I can't persuade him, but I would really love for him to return to the national team. And I hope that will be the case. As for why he made that decision, I really don’t know.”