Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be plying his trade elsewhere once the season comes to a close. The 36-year-old made a brilliant recovery from a long-term knee injury earlier in the campaign, but another minor setback has seen his presence restricted to the club’s training ground.
In a report covered on the club’s official website, the Portuguese tactician admitted that the big Swede would leave Old Trafford, having failed to make a similar impact to the previous season, where he bagged 28 goals across all competitions.
“For Zlatan, we all think it’s his last season at Manchester United and it will be a very personal decision for him to play or to stop. I think he won the right of choosing his life and his future – he’s such an amazing player with such an amazing career that only that awful injury in the wrong moment broke a fantastic couple of seasons that he could, and should, have with us,” he said.
There were plenty of doubts whether Zlatan would succeed with United after he made the switch at the age of 34. However, the veteran proved his mettle with his knack of scoring goals, and he most notably produced a brilliant man-of-the-match performance in the League Cup final against Southampton last term, which included a late winner.
Having turned 36 earlier this season, the striker’s fitness was likely to be tested after a return from a near career-ending injury, and it will be interesting to see whether the Swede will prolong his career, preferably in Major League Soccer at the end of the campaign.
Despite Mourinho’s comments, Zlatan would no doubt be aiming to end his United career on a high, and he has recently hinted the possibility of a surprise comeback with Sweden for this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.
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