Edin Dzeko wants Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Roma long-term

Roma striker Edin Dzeko has said that he wants on-loan Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan to remain at the club long-term.

Mkhitaryan made his debut for the Serie A outfit against Sassuolo, scoring his side's third goal after just 22 minutes as they breezed to a 4-2 win.

Following the game, 33-year-old striker Dzeko, who also got on the scoresheet, heaped praise on his new teammate and expressed his desire to work with him beyond the end of the season.

"I [expected the good performance] from him. I know him as a great player, and he is a very good addition to our attacking team who wants to play football," Dzeko told reporters after the game.

"I am one 100% sure he is going to be a big help for us. I was definitely happy to see this transfer happen. After we played for our national teams and he scored two goals against us I told him 'my friend, next games you have to score for Roma as well!'

"He's a great pro. I remember him also from Borussia Dortmund times and he will be a big player for us. Hopefully, he can stay a long time here. Hopefully he will [stay]. He will see that we are playing football here and immediately he scored a goal so hopefully, he can have more goals and a lot of assists for us."

Roma play Istanbul Basaksehir next in the Europa League, before a trip to Bologna when they return to domestic action.