Ibrahimovic has eyes on one prize that’s eluded him
ZLATAN Ibrahimovic claims he is ‘happy’ United signed Romelu Lukaku and believes they will be ‘even stronger’ with him.
The 35-year-old’s contract was not renewed after he suffered a serious knee injury in April, but he has since re-joined the club on a one-year deal as he steps up his remarkable comeback.
Jose Mourinho prioritised signing a No.9 in the summer following Ibrahimovic’s injury and completed a £75m deal for Lukaku last month.
And while his status as the main man up top has changed, with Lukaku taking his shirt number, Ibrahimovic believes they can complement each other.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m happy he came,” he told ESPN.
“I think the team is much stronger this season than last season. Obviously we lost Rooney as a legend for the club, but we took three new players and with these three new players the team is stronger.
“For the first year going, the team has been winning some trophies and learning the sacrifice you have to do to win the trophies and the mental part, and that is what the coach brought to the team, the mental thing, and me as a player also.
“The pressure you put to win the objectives you want to win, and signing Lukaku, makes us even stronger because he has different quality from me as a striker and as Rashford as a striker.
“He is a powerful guy and will bring some extra quality in the game.”
United were not the only club interested in signing Ibrahimovic despite his injury, with Los Angeles FC and AC Milan also reportedly keen. But the 35-year-old dismissed the possibility of not returning to Old Trafford.
“There were a couple of teams reaching out and wanting to have Ibracadabra in the team but I had such a great year with United and we had a great season,” he added.
Ibrahimovic finished as United’s top scorer last season, with 28 goals, before suffering the first serious knee injury of his career against Anderlecht.
There has been talk of an early return before the end of the year, but Ibrahimovic refused to estimate when he will be back on the field.
“I don’t know, I mean I feel good. There are some people without even knowing my injury talking one year, nine months,” he added.
“I take it day by day. When I’m ready, I’ll be ready. When the day comes, I’ll be more than ready.
“It’s nothing about coming back and playing at 50 per cent, 80pc, because I don’t want to have any excuses when I’m on the field like, ‘He’s injured, he has just come back’. When I’m back, I’m back.
“I want to have the same pressure like every year I had. The same expectation like always.”
And the Swede has his eyes on the one domestic trophy to have eluded him – the Premier League title.
“I come back to finish what I started,” he added.