Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan says he is ‘hurt’ at having to miss next week’s Europa League Final in Baku over security concerns.
The Gunners are due to travel to the Azerbaijani capital to face London rivals Chelsea next Wednesday.
Political tensions between Azerbaijan and Mkhitaryan’s native Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region mean Arsenal wanted sufficient assurances from Uefa over the 30-year-old’s safety before allowing him to travel.
After failing to receive such assurances, the club announced on Wednesday that Mkhitaryan would sit out the trip, as he did when skipping October’s group stage game against Qarabag in the country.
“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 against Chelsea,” Mkhitaryan wrote on Twitter.
“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.”
