Wales’ very own Zlatan can’t wait to KO England
Wales striker Kieffer Moore says he has been studying Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the hope of knocking England out of the World Cup.
The 6ft 5in forward has the same physical build as the Swedish great, and would love to end the Three Lions’ interest in Qatar.
Moore was born in Torquay and won one cap for England C – the country’s non-league team – but qualified for Wales through his Llanrug-born grandfather.
“I can’t wait to knock them out, it would be amazing,” said Moore, looking ahead to the group game on November 29.
“There will be no mixed loyalties. I can’t remember much about being capped by England. It was Estonia, maybe, and I think I came on towards the end.”
The Bournemouth striker, now 30, has mirrored his impressive international form with a successful start to Premier League life.
Moore’s fifth goal of the season came in the Cherries’ 3-0 victory over Everton past England keeper Jordan Pickford.
Classed as a throwback by some observers due to his aggressive style of play, Moore said: “In general, people don’t like it.
“It is a bit of rarity now, and something you can pull on. You can dominate the person you are up against in a physical and aggressive way. I like to lean against players where I think I can have an advantage.
“One player that springs to mind like that is Zlatan. You can see his physical prowess, the way he holds himself, his character and the way he plays football.
“I have watched countless videos of virtually every striker worth watching.
“I like to analyse a lot of other people to see if that can help me and I feel I have learned a whole lot of stuff from those videos.”
Moore believes his size has made him an easy target for referees at international level, and he has often picked up yellow cards to his cost.
Against Italy at Euro 2020, when another booking would have ruled him out of a potential last16 tie, Wales manager, Rob Page, told him to “jump with no arms”.
Moore said: “I have made a real conscious effort of working around it for the last year or so.
“It’s not so much jumping without your arms, but trying to lever yourself, and still have the same impact.”
Wales open their campaign against the United States tomorrow, with Gareth Bale’s Stateside knowledge to draw on.
He scored a superb header in Los Angeles FC’S MLS Cup final triumph earlier this month, and Moore said: “I think Gaz has been looking at my highlights!
“I have told him that, and he said he felt like me!”