Mkhitaryan fractured the metatarsal in his right foot in last Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat by Tottenham and was replaced at half-time. He missed the win against Burnley at the weekend.

Arsenal said the Armenian playmaker is “expected to return to full training in six weeks”.

Mkhitaryan has been a regular under Unai Emery and has scored four Premier League goals this season.

The 29-year-old will miss key league games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City as Arsenal continue their pursuit of a top-four place.

Mkhitaryan arrived at the Emirates Stadium almost a year ago as part of the swap deal that took Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United.

The Norwegian’s caretaker spell in charge until the end of the season got off to a dream start as United threw off the shackles, that led to turgid football and deteriorating results under Jose Mourinho, to thrash Cardiff 5-1.

United still face a huge challenge to make up an eight-point gap just to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.

But for now the luxury of just being able to enjoy watching a side play with freedom and the attacking principles that have underpinned the club’s history is enough to excite United fans again.

“I think the boys are looking forward to playing at Old Trafford and that’s important. We should be looking forward to that, they are the best fans in the world,” said Solskjaer when questioned whether some of the current United squad have been inhibited by the pressures of playing at home in the famous red shirt.

Solskjaer is certainly a favourite of the United faithful having scored 126 goals in 11 seasons as a player, including the one that famously won the Champions League final in 1999.

He was serenaded throughout by the visiting fans in the Welsh capital at the weekend as United hit five for the first time since Alex Ferguson’s final game in charge.

“I just hope in the next five months I do a good enough job for them to keep singing my name when someone else comes in,” added Solskjaer, whose positivity has immediately lifted a squad downtrodden by Mourinho’s mood swings.

“Just to be positive. Take risks,” said Jesse Lingard, who scored twice in Cardiff, at what Solskjaer’s message has been.

“If you lose the ball, win it back, and play the United way – attacking football, entertaining football. For us as players, we enjoyed it today.”

Rarely has enjoyment ever been top of Mourinho’s list of priorities, even in his most successful spells with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

– ‘Work harder’ –

However, the levels of committment he demanded from those sides was not evident in the current United squad.

For the first time this season, United outran their opponents against Cardiff.

“A Man United team should never ever be outworked,” said Solskjaer to highlight the minimum he expects.

“Doesn’t matter which team you play. You should run more than them and then your skills will give you the chance to win the game.”

A good work ethic should be the minimum required of a Manchester United team, but Mourinho’s tactics also didn’t help his side’s running statistics.

Too often the Red Devils were set up to sit deep and try and counter-attack.

Solskjaer instead seems intent on implementing the United way he learned at the heel of Ferguson for so long.

“I said the same to these lads as I do back in Molde: work harder than them, enjoy yourselves, pass it forward, run forward, if you lose it, I don’t mind as long as you work to win it back and they did.

“When you’ve got players like this with the quality you are always going to create chances.”

The best Christmas present for many United fans may be the gift of being able to look forward to games with a sense of anticipation again.

An old colleague of national coach Milovan Rajevac, Yanez was called up last week to work on team analysis, which has been identified as a top priority if Thailand are to reach the round of 16 in the Cup, which kicks off on January 5 in the United Arab Emirates.

The 49-year-old assistant coach used to work with Rejevac at the Qatar League’s Al-Sadd Club and grabbed the chance to rejoin the Serbian after his contract with the Middle East team expired.

“It’s an honour to be part of Thailand’s national team, which has some of the most passionate fans,” said Yanez. “As I used to work for the under-20 and Olympic teams of Qatar, I know the Thai team quite well. They play a fast game and have good skills.”

Yanez, who also helped Serbia in the Russian World Cup Finals, pointed out that game analysis has become crucial in modern football and that he can introduce a |different perspective to help the head coach.

“Apart from providing analytical information on opposite teams, a game analyst can share new opinions with the coach. As I have long experience in this area and as I also used to be a team manager, I can serve as ‘two assistants’ at the same time,” Yanez said.

The Chilean will be tasked with scrutinising the team’s strengths and weaknesses and devising methods to help the team achieve higher levels.

“When we know ourselves more, we understand our opponents even better. Then I can analyse their game and propose the most accurate data to the head coach to lay out a game plan and tactics. This will make his job easier,” Yanez added.

The analyst is impressed by the positive attitude of Thai players and is confident the team will become a force to be reckon with in the future.

“The players are hardworking and are craving victories. Together with support from home fans, they can become stronger and reach their goals,” said Yanez, who has had stints as assistant coach for China, Honduras, Jamaica, Iraq and as manager for Qatar’s under-23 side.

“Due to my experience with the Chinese, Serbian and Honduran teams in the World Cup Finals, I believe I can help take the Thai team to another level,” he said.

Beijing – Foison Golf Club’s Dye Course in Guangzhou will host three 2019 PGA TOUR Series-China Qualifying Tournaments, and then the Series will make history when it holds for the first time its final Global Qualifying event outside of Greater China.

The Series’ third Global Qualifying Tournament is set for Laguna Phuket Golf Club in Phuket, Thailand. Aside from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau have also hosted official events, with Thailand to join the list.

The First Global Qualifying Tournament will be February 19-22, 2019, with the Second Global Qualifying Tournament the following week (February 26-March 1). The Third Global Qualifying Tournament is March 5-8 in Phuket, with all three tournaments open to players from outside Mainland China. The Tour will begin accepting applications for the three Global Qualifying Tournaments on December 26, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. EST. However, the Tour will begin accepting early applications for former PGA TOUR Series-China, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada members on December 22, 2018 at 8 a.m., EST.

Foison Golf Club will also host the Mainland China Qualifying Tournament for China passport holders. That qualifier, also with a field size of 120 players, is set for January 22-25. The Tour will begin accepting applications for the Mainland Chinese Q-School on December 22, at 8 a.m., Beijing time.

“We have watched numerous players show up at the Qualifying Tournaments, and a year or two later they are playing on the Web.com Tour and the PGA TOUR. It’s at the qualifiers where many of them are beginning their professional journeys, and we recognize the talent that has come through our Tour during its first four years,” said PGA TOUR Series-China Executive Director Greg Carlson. “As we announce these dates, it means another PGA TOUR Series-China season is just around the corner, featuring a mix of new players who will emerge from these qualifiers as well as those players who are returning.

“This is also a new chapter in the history of the Tour as we stage an event away from Greater China for the first time. Playing in Thailand will provide players with a new cultural experience while playing a tournament on a world-class golf course in one of the great resort cities in Southeast Asia,” Carlson continued.

Each of the Qualifying Tournaments will feature fields of 120 players, with the winner of each 72-hole, stroke-play tournament earning a full exemption for the entire 2019 season. Those finishing between second and 12th will have full status through the Tour’s first six events. Players finishing in the Nos. 13-35 positions, and ties, will have conditional status through the season’s first six events. After the sixth tournament, there will be a reshuffle based on 2019 Order of Merit rank. The season-ending event will have eligibility based on performance during the season, not on Q-School results. The Global Qualifying Tournaments carry an entry fee of U.S. $1,500, while the Mainland China Qualifying Tournament, due to a discount offered by Foison Golf Club, will cost RMB 7,500.

Foison Golf Club’s original 18 holes previously hosted the final event of the 2016 PGA TOUR Series-China season—the Buick Open, won by China’s Huilin Zhang. In 2019, the Dye Course will be the site of the qualifier, a course designed by Cynthia Dye.

Architect Paul Jansen revamped and upgraded Laguna Phuket Golf Club in 2014, a course built among lagoons, native water grasses and mature woodland areas. The last International Federation of PGA Tours event held at Laguna Phuket Golf Club was the Asian Development Tour’s 2017 Singha Phuket Open.

In 2018, PGA TOUR Series-China Global Qualifying Tournament winners were Americans Jeffrey Kang and Joseph Winslow, with Cheng Jin capturing the Mainland China qualifier. Other Global Qualifying Tournament winners in the Series’ history are American Charlie Saxon and South Korea’s Sungpil Park (2016), Canada’s Justin Shin and American Kyle Souza (2015) and Australians David Lutterus and Alex Hawley (2014).

Kitayama first entered the scene in January when he impressed at the Asian Tour Qualifying School with a tied-third finish to earn his Tour card on his very first attempt.

Spurred by his success from Qualifying School, the Japanese-American went on to secure one of three spots up for grabs when he topped the field by a single shot at the SMBC Singapore Open Qualifying Tournament the week after.

Riding high on confidence in his birth month, the 25-year-old Kitayama carried forward his form to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) where he put on a stunning display to claim a wire-to-wire victory in Malaysia.

That win was his very first since turning professional in 2015, and he quickly turned his focus back to the region’s premier Tour, hoping to ignite on the big stage.

“It has been a great year playing in Asia. It was tough at first because I wasn’t getting many starts, but I was fortunate enough to play well in the events that I did get into which helped me get into some bigger events later in the year,” said Kitayama, who enjoyed a commendable tied-fourth finish in his first start in New Zealand.

Residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kitayama who played two years on the Web.com Tour, admitted he experienced a slight culture shock when he took the leap to pursue more playing opportunities in Asia.

“When I first came to Asia, there was a little bit of a culture shock. Adjusting to that, and the different foods was a little bit of a struggle. I gained more experience along the way and now it has been easy to adapt to the new cultures,” said Kitayama.

Throughout his rookie year, the young American has displayed a steady rate of improvement where he did not miss a single cut in his first 11 starts, including three top-five finishes.

Soaking up the experience of playing amongst the best in Asia, he finally entered the winner’s circle in Mauritius before wrapping up an incredible season in South Africa.

It is a bonus that Kitayama, who’s only five feet, seven inches tall, topped the season statistics in the driving distance category with his booming average of 315 yards. There is no doubt that the big-hitting golfer is primed for the top echelons of the game with all his achievements this season.

“Having my maiden victory in my rookie year is great. I think it might be a little early to tell if it is a turning point but it was a huge step in my career and has opened up opportunities for the next two years.

“Asia has great players. Putting myself in contention throughout the year and competing with them played a big role in helping me make a breakthrough in Mauritius. I was able to learn from those experiences, get better, and win a tournament,” said Kitayama.

Underlining the success of Qualifying School graduates is fellow countryman John Catlin, who marked his name in the Asian Tour history books by becoming the 10th golfer in Tour history to win three times in a single season.

“Any time you can get into the winner’s circle it is going to be a good year. To do it multiple times is just amazing. If you told me at the start that I was going to win three times and end up in sixth place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Catlin, who first came through Qualifying School in 2015.

Stressing that the key to his success has been hard work, the 2018 Player’s Player of the Year recipient has inspired his peers with his dogged work ethic.

“For as long as I have been a professional golfer, I believe that the only confidence I’ve found when I step on to face these world-class golfers is knowing that I’ve hit these shots thousands of times. And that’s never going to change.

“I am very excited for next year. To be able to play in all the biggest events is going to be awesome. Winning a co-sanctioned event is my highest priority, and that’s my goal next year,” added Catlin.