Emery silent over reason for Mkhitaryan no-show

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery refused to be drawn into the reasons behind the decision to leave Henrikh Mkhitaryan at home for the Europa League match against Qarabag.

Diplomatic tensions exist betweenazerbaijanand Mkhitaryan’s native Armenia following a long-standing conflict over the disputed Nagorno-karabakh territory.

Mkhitaryan did not travel to face Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala while with Borussia Dortmund in 2015, although he was told by Uefa that he would be granted a visa if we wished to make the journey.

It is understood that the same agreement would have applied this time around but that the club decided it was not necessary to undertake any application on behalf of the player. Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov claimed the Gunners had “saved” Mkhitaryan and were “afraid” of the pressure exerted on him by playing in front of a 68,000 capacity crowd at the Baku Olympic Stadium

Emery, though, would not go into depth on the issue, despite being repeatedly asked aboutmkhitaryan’sabsenceby the Azeri journalists at his pre-match press conference.

“He cannot travel here,” Emery said. “We are here, the players with the best mentality and preparation and possibility to play tomorrow.”

Pushed on the Nagorno-karabakh issue, Emery was keen to keep everything football-related. “My work is football,” he added.

“I respect each person, I respect each people, I respect each culture, I respect each country. But I don’t know each situation in every country. For me, he cannot play tomorrow.

“There is respect for Mkhi and respect for you. Today we are here with the opportunity to play well.”