Jose Mourinho says £180k-per-week star could depart Manchester United this summer
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says this season could be Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last at Old Trafford. The former Swedish international signed a contract extension last summer but has struggled for playing time and admitted he could move to the MLS as a result.
Ibrahimovic has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season, six of which have come from the bench. The 36-year-old has spent the majority of the campaign battling a serious knee injury and Mourinho can’t see the striker staying at United past the summer.
“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,” the United manager said to Manchester United’s official website.
With Romelu Lukaku commanding a starting place, coupled with competition from Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez, playing time will be hard to come by.
Ibrahimovic will want regular football at his age, something that can no longer be promised at United, which is why a move to the MLS might suit all parties. Mourinho isn’t standing in his way and says he will allow the veteran forward to decide his own future.
“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.
“This season has been really difficult for him. Is he injured? No, he’s not injured. Does he feel totally happy and totally ready and totally convinced that he’s in [the] conditions to help the team in this moment? No.
“But he’s such an honest guy and such a champion that he only wants to be back with that feeling of ‘I’m totally ready for it’. He’s working hard and, hopefully, his evolution brings him to that level that he wants to have a positive answer.”
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