Zlatan has United lift-off!
Ibrahimovic takes just 3 mins, 15 secs to have an impact with wonder goal on United debut
IT took Zlatan Ibrahimovic just three minutes and 15 seconds to remind Manchester United fans of the wow factor they have been missing since Cristiano Ronaldo left in 2009.
Manager Jose Mourinho will be happy enough about that, but there will be concerns about his leaky defence and the future role of Wayne Rooney to keep him deep in thought all the way to next Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Leicester City and beyond.
First, praise be to the great Zlatan. When you’re supposed to be a global market leader like United, you need to create drama and excitement as well as win trophies and that is why executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward sanctioned a £220,000-a-week deal for a 34-year-old striker who is built like a nightclub bouncer.
Zlatan is box office, and still delivers. The Swede was mobbed from the moment he touched down in Gothenburg with his new teammates yesterday, and immediately showed he understands United’s culture of creating theatre.
Anthony Martial fed Antonio Valencia, overlapping down the right. The full-back’s cross was travelling behind Ibrahimovic who was hovering around the six yard box.
For anyone else, it would have been a goner but brilliantly, the 6ft 4ins heavyweight marksman launched himself into the air, twisted his body and had the technique to make an explosive connection with a right-footed bicycle kick. Wow, indeed.
The goal on a pleasant summer’s evening in southern Sweden would have raised Jose Mourinho’s spirits. His pre-season has stuttered, a 4-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund followed by a wash-out in Beijing against Manchester City.
So Mourinho started with his strongest line-up and gave major clues as to the way he wants to mount a Premier League title challenge.
Apart from Chris Smalling, left at home with a minor injury, y, this was the team Mourinhoho might name for his s opening game — plus Paul Pogba.
Particular interest was given to the formation and the role of captain Rooney. He was given the chance to play y the No10 role as a secondnd striker behind Ibrahimovic, vic, despite the claims of £28million8 illi new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan who was shifted to the right, while Juan Mata was on the bench.
Rooney was dropped into midfield by Louis van Gaal, an experiment copied unsuccessfully by Roy Hodgson at Euro 2016. Mourinho had already warned Rooney he will not play as a No 6 or No 8 this season and the message for the United and England striker is clear: it will either be up front or not at all.
Yesterday, he looked a bit rusty, and got a few whistles when he conceded possession cheaply to Wesley Sneijder but this was his first match since Euro 2016 and at least he knows Mourinho believes in him.
A more attacking role is good news for Rooney’s United career and in particular his chances of breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record of 249 sooner rather than later. Rooney is four behind Sir Bobby but the competitive goals dried up from midfield last season; just one in his last 11 games. England’s new boss, Sam Allardyce, thoughtthough Rooney did OK playing deeperd at Euro 2016 but wouldwo be unwilling to play someoneso out of position fromf his club side. So Rooney will have to compete with Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge anda Jamie Vardy for a place.pl At least he can now say he hasha played for Mourinho, threeth years after being denied the chance to join him at Chelsea. Perhaps he was saving something special for his testimonial against former club Everton at Old Trafford on Wednesday. There were five players Mourinho was looking at for the first time in Sweden: David de Gea and Morgan Schneiderlin back from post-Euro 2016 breaks, alongside Rooney, Martial and Ibra.
What is already noticeable is that the team shape will be much clearer with the new manager.
Nine players, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, were not even taken to Sweden. Mourinho wants a smaller, more intense first-team squad.
Ahead of De Gea, £30m signing Eric Bailly looked strong next to Daley Blind at the heart of the defence. Luke Shaw continued his good progress while Valencia’s attacking verve showed Italian international Matteo Darmian that he faces a fierce battle for the rightback spot.
Ander Herrera and Schneiderlin were selected ahead of Marouane Fellaini and Carrick as the starting holding midfielders, though Pogba will surely dispossess one once his protracted £100million move from Juventus is completed.
And Mourinho will have his players working on defensive set-piece drills after Sinan Gumas glanced in Sneijder’s free-kick unchallenged midway through the first half.
The combination of Bailly’s rawness and Blind’s lack of pace always looked an accident waiting to happen and Bruma went through the middle to put Galatasaray 2-1 up shortly before half-time.
Yet it did not seem to bother the Scandinavian fans who dominated the arena in Gothenburg. ‘Zlatan, Zlatan’ they chanted throughout. United certainly have a superstar on their hands again.
Rooney justified Mourinho’s decision to keep him on by getting into the box and converting Valencia’s cross to make it 2-2 and he soon added another to make it 3-2.
England teenager Marcus Rashford was one of five United substitutions at half-time as he came on for Ibrahimovic.
United continued to dominate without their new superstar. They scored again through Fellaini and Mata, the latter sliding in to finish a brilliant move he began 30 yards out with a Cruyff turn.