Facing Pep will fire me up, claims Ibrahimovic

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC still gets a little hot under the collar at the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola.

The Swedish striker played for Guardiola during the pair’s time at Barcelona in 2009-10, but they shared a fractious relationship which even after a gap of six years has been re-ignited in the Premier League this season.

They will resume their rivalry when Ibrahimovic’s Manchester United and Guardiola’s Manchester City clash next month.

And the striker admits the prospect of coming up against the Spaniard still gets him wound up.

‘When I play against his team, it’s something that motivates me, it gives me adrenaline,’ Ibrahimovic told Fox Sports Italia. ‘It is normal, after what’s happened. I’m using it as something positive, not negative. But it is something always in the back of my mind.’

Ibrahimovic said his relationship with Guardiola broke down because of issues the City boss had with him, not the other way around.

He added: ‘ I learned a lot at Barcelona, both on and off the pitch. I learned that in football any situation can change in just 24 hours. The problem wasn’t with me, it was with him, and he never came to terms with it. I don’t know what his problem was with me.

‘First he called me every day to get me and from one day to the next I didn’t play any more.’