Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has risked the wrath of the club’s fans by admitting that they’re a step down from Paris Saint-Germain and that linking up with manager Jose Mourinho was his main reason for joining.
The 35-year-old has been a popular addition at Old Trafford since his summer switch from PSG, but latest quotes in an interview suggest he’s not finding it too easy adapting to a playing in a weaker side.
United’s draw with Arsenal at the weekend leaves them in 6th place with just one win in six, and Ibrahimovic admits it has been a challenge for him in England, though that was also part of the initial attraction to the move.
‘The team I signed for this summer is not as strong as the one I left,’ he told Aftonbladet. ‘But when Mourinho called the decision was easy.
‘When he calls I have no problem coming, all we had to decide was when I was to be presented as Man U player. The rest, the financial deal, was not the difficult part.
‘It was about the challenge really, and I will never say no to a challenge. This is what I wanted; coming to one of the world’s biggest clubs, that has had troubles and not won much of late, and try the Premier League. That is the challenge.’
Ibrahimovic and United now seem increasingly unlikely to live up to that particular challenge, with the Red Devils nine points adrift of current Premier League leaders Chelsea.
The Swede may now be thinking ahead to his next move, and has hinted he’d be keen on a move to the MLS next.
‘It’s a huge option for me,’ he said. ‘For the football and everything else.
‘I can see myself conquering the US as I have with Europe. Lots of people stay in one place throughout their career, but I’ve travelled around like Napoleon, and conquered every new country where I’ve set foot.
‘So perhaps I should do what Napoleon didn’t and cross the Atlantic and conquer the States as well.’
COMMENTS