Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has described Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan as "an important player."

Mkhitaryan provided an assist and scored a goal in the Giallorossi's 4:3 Serie A win against Cagliari on Sunday, March 1.

Asked by RomaPress if the table would have been different if he had Mkhitaryan from the beginning, Fonseca said the Armenia international is improving day by day, "he is an important player."

Fonseca was also asked how Mkhitaryan and Pellegrini can play together, to which he said: "This is a big problem for a coach, but it is much worse when we have no players available. There is room for everyone, especially for good players."

Roma, with 45 points from 26 games, are three behind fourth-placed Atalanta, who won 7-2 at Lecce and have a game in hand. Cagliari, without a win since Dec. 5, have dropped to 11th.