MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho said he was "scared" about losing Henrikh Mkhitaryan to a lengthy lay-off after watching a replay of the tackle on the Manchester United midfielder which saw him stretchered off during the Premier League win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Mkhitaryan is expected to be sidelined for just two weeks as a result of the ankle injury sustained after Danny Rose's challenge during the 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
But Mourinho, who is hopeful of having the Armenian back in the team during the Christmas period, feared the worst initially.
"When I saw the tackle on TV, I was scared," Mourinho said. "It's a pity because he will miss matches in his best period, but at least we won't miss him for long.
"Hopefully he can play at Christmas. We believe that is possible. When I saw on stretcher, I thought it was more difficult."
Mkhitaryan has fought back from a tough start at United, when he was overlooked for almost two months by Mourinho, to become a key figure in the team.
His goal against Spurs secured three crucial points ahead of Wednesday's trip to Crystal Palace and Mourinho admits he has been impressed by the player's determination to prove his worth.
"I have had similar processes and adaptation with other players," Mourinho said. "We bought him, he was not chosen by other people, he was bought because I asked the club to do it.
"So it would be more frustrating for me if everything went wrong.
"In that period, when he did not play, he was a great professional.
"Another guy would blame the pitch, the weather, the manager -- but he was quiet, closed his mouth, worked really hard and waited for opportunity."