FER-GET HIM
Zlatan: Man United and the Class of 92 (aka the circle of Fergie) must move on
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC believes Sir Alex Ferguson’s incredible legacy at Manchester United is still an albatross around the necks of the managers who replaced him.
The legendary Scot’s role as a mentor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been highlighted as a key factor in the Norwegian’s hugely encouraging time as interim boss. But former Old Trafford striker Ibrahimovic – now at MLS side LA Galaxy – reckons the weight of history remains a burden on those trying to re-establish United as a dominant force. He said: “Everything that happens is judged by the era of Ferguson. They are saying if Ferguson was here, this would not happen, Ferguson would not do it like that. Ferguson would do it like this. Everything was Ferguson. “If it was me, I would say I don’t have Ferguson any more and I come here and I want to make my own history, I want to make my own story. “I don’t want to hear what happened before. I want to do it in the present. You come in with a new mentality. “Ferguson has his place in history at this club but now the club has to find its own identity.” The Swedish frontman had a close relationship with Jose Mourinho, who regularly came under fire from ex-United players of the Ferguson years, in particular from Paul Scholes. And that was not to the liking of Zlatan who has his own term for the Class of ’92 – the circle of Ferguson. He said: “They’re not there any more. They’re on TV and complaining all the time because they’re not active in the club. If you want to work in the club, go and search for work in the club. “So you can’t be on TV and always complaining and criticising. Yeah, OK, you’ve had your time, we know it.”
Ibrahimovic is close to United midfielder Paul Pogba and insists the Frenchman was also unfairly analysed by former Old Trafford names.
He said: “Pogba was with United when he was young, then he went out and he came back. In the circle of Ferguson, they don’t like that because they stayed all their life under Ferguson and they never moved from Ferguson.
“They didn’t even talk if Ferguson didn’t tell them to open their mouth. So now if they’re talking, I don’t know if Ferguson gave them permission or not.”
But Ibrahimovic, who scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for United, is convinced Pogba and Marcus Rashford can now lead the club back to the top.
He said: “Pogba has the potential to be the best in the world in his position. He’s a good guy, trains hard, listens, wants to become better, wants to win.
“Things happening outside do not bother him because when you are at that level, everyone will speak. Positive, negative, in between, everybody.
“Rashford is the future of United. In the beginning I saw him more as an individual but now he is playing more for the collective.
“He has big potential and a big future and the special thing is that he comes from the academy. He has no limits.”
While Solskjaer now looks certain to become the permanent successor to Mourinho, Ibrahimovic has no doubt Jose will soon be back in business.
He said: “What he’s done you can never erase. He has a CV where he won wherever he went. If I didn’t win, you could say, ‘Ibrahimovic was a good player but what did he win?’ When I came to United, I didn’t come for a vacation, I came to win.”
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Ferguson has his place in history but the club has to find its own identity ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC