Arsenal have confirmed Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not play in the Europa League final with Chelsea due to diplomatic tensions between his native Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Gunners made this known in a statement released on Tuesday.
The final of this season’s Europa League will take place in Azerbaijan capital Baku on May 29.
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“We are very disappointed to announce that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be travelling with the squad for our Uefa Europa League final against Chelsea,” the statement reads.
“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.
Commenting on his absence from the final, the former Manchester United star took to Instagram to address the development, posting:
“Having considered all the current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the Europa League Final.
“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.”
Mkhitaryan has played more minutes in the competition than any other Arsenal outfield player.
He won the trophy with Manchester United in the 2016/2017 season, scoring the second goal in the 2-0 win against Ajax.
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