Zlatan Ibrahimovic has re-joined Manchester United on a one-year contract after the Swedish star’s spell with the Premier League side was curtailed by a serious knee injury last season. Ibrahimovic missed the final weeks of United’s campaign after suffering ligament damage in a Europa League clash against Anderlecht in April.
But United manager Jose Mourinho remained in contact with the 35-year-old while he underwent his rehabilitation and the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward has now agreed to return to Old Trafford. “I am back to finish what I started. It was always mine and the club’s intention for me to stay,” Ibrahimovic told United’s website.
Mourinho believes Ibrahimovic can play in the same team as Lukaku — and some will read much into his squad number being 10 — but little in their careers suggests either man is content as the foil. Manchester United had a selfless 10 in Wayne Rooney, who made a lot of the hard yards so Cristiano Ronaldo could play as he wished. Ibrahimovic is an inspirational and diligent figure in any team, too, but he is nobody’s support act. Lukaku would not expect to be, either, for that huge fee.