One of the worst kept secrets in football was officially confirmed on Friday morning when Man United announced the signing on Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer.
The former Sweden international has penned a 12-month contract with the club, with the option for a further year, and joins up with new manager Jose Mourinho, who he played under for one season at Inter Milan.
In his first interview with the club’s official website, the 34-year-old – who has already made an instant impact by breaking the club’s power records during his medical – admitted he was desperate to team up with the Special One again:
“I have great memories. The only regret I had with Jose was that I had a short time with him. I had one season. We won together, we enjoyed it together and had a great time together. I learned a lot, and I got to know him as a person, not only as a coach, and only positive things. He’s a winner, I’m a winner and we know both what we want. We want to win. Wherever we go, we win. And we will win.”
Mourinho, meanwhile, was equally complimentary as he turned to the Swede’s experience in his first year at the Old Trafford helm after replacing Louis van Gaal:
“Zlatan needs no introduction. The statistics speak for themselves. Ibra is one of the best strikers in the world and a player who always gives 100 per cent. He has won the most important league championships in the world of football, now he has the opportunity to play in the best league in the world and I know he will grasp this opportunity and will work hard to help the team win titles. I am certain that his talent will delight fans at Old Trafford next season and that his experience will be invaluable in helping to develop the younger players in the squad.”
THE HISTORY
Ibrahimovic started out at local junior clubs Malmo BI and FBK Balkan in his native Sweden before linking up with hometown club Malmo FF. He moved into the first-team squad for the 1999-2000 season, and over the next two years scored 16 goals in 40 league appearances. Having already turned down an offer to go for a trial with Arsenal, it was Dutch club Ajax who put in a firm offer for the striker, landing Ibrahimovic in an €8.7 million move in 2001.
The Swedish striker continued his rapid development at the Dutch side, producing 35 goals and 13 assists in 74 league matches over a three-year period, helping to secure a move to Italian giants Juventus in 2004 for a fee of €16 million. Ibrahimovic’s time with I Bianconeri was less successful, though, particularly during the 2005/06 campaign, which ultimately saw the club relegated to Serie B following the Calciopoli scandal. That helped provide Ibrahimovic with an exit route from Turin, and, after racking up 23 goals and two assists in 70 league outings, he was on the move again, this time to Inter Milan, in a deal worth €24.8 million in August 2006.
It was at Inter where Ibrahimovic played some of the best football of his career, with the club winning Serie A with a record 97 points in his first year at the San Siro. In his three seasons with I Nerazzurri, Ibrahimovic produced 57 goals and 23 assists in 88 league appearances, before a move to Barcelona involving a swap deal with Samuel Eto’o was rubber stamped in July 2009, with the Swede eventually costing the Spanish giants around €69 million.
His time in Spain was undermined by an uneasy relationship with Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, however, and while he delivered 16 goals and nine assists in a title-winning campaign in 2009/10, Ibrahimovic moved on loan to AC Milan for the 2010/11 season, where he bagged 14 goals and 12 assists, before completing a permanent move to I Rossoneri in the summer of 2011 for €24 million.
Ibrahimovic finished the 2011/12 campaign as the top scorer in Serie A with 28 goals and eight assists from 32 appearances, but the striker once again found himself on the move, this time to French side Paris Saint-Germain. Ibrahimovic would win the league title in all four of his seasons in the French capital, along with eight other domestic trophies, and registered 113 goals and 44 assists in 122 league matches.
Having been eligible to represent Sweden, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Croatia at international level, Ibrahimovic chose to play for the county of his birth, and made his international debut against the Faroe Islands in January 2001. His international career spanned 15 years, having retired after Sweden were eliminated from Euro 2016 following the group stage, with Ibrahimovic finishing with 62 goals from 116 appearances for his country.
THE PROSPECTS
With Mourinho expected to use his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation at Old Trafford, Ibrahimovic is likely to operate as a lone striker for United next season.
While the 34-year-old is understandably lacking pace at this stage in his career, Mourinho will be able to surround the Swede with plenty of young legs, with Anthony Martial in particular expected to flourish playing predominantly on the left of the three attacking midfield positions. Marcus Rashford also has the ability to play out wide, while should the strong rumours of United signing Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan come to fruition, the Armenian could feature in either the number ten role or down the right flank, depending on where Mourinho sees Wayne Rooney fitting into his starting XI.
The classification of Rooney and Martial in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) will certainly be something for Fantasy managers to look out for, with a possibility of one or even both being listed as midfielders. That would perhaps lead us to reassess the pecking order of United’s attacking assets, although should Mkhitaryan arrive at Old Trafford, we’ll clearly be spoilt for choice.
Having enjoyed so much success with several of Europe’s top teams, Ibrahimovic will no doubt be one of the most expensive players when FPL is launched later this month, with a valuation of between 11.0 and 12.0 appearing likely. His standing as one of the icons of the game will likely see many gravitate towards including him in their 15-man squads, particularly should he be handed penalty duties. That will have to be monitored during pre-season, though, with Rooney looking the other main contender for that role.
Another reason why Ibrahimovic could be a popular pick from the off is United’s favourable schedule over the first five Gameweeks (bou, SOT, hul, MCI, wat) and with the Red Devils and Man City’s fixtures dovetailing perfectly, some could be inclined to try and find spots for both Ibrahimovic and Sergio Aguero in their three-man frontlines, offering a strong option for the captain’s armband with a home fixture every Gameweek.
It would certainly be no surprise to see Ibrahimovic hit the ground running and his addition to the Premier League looks a fascinating one for Fantasy managers to consider. With Mourinho known to favour experience over youth, the former PSG front man should be the focal point of the new look attack at Old Trafford, and while that doesn’t spell good news for the prospects of Rashford or Memphis Depay, Ibrahimovic could prove difficult to ignore in his first season in the English top-flight.
