Manchester United’s new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reportedly been made vice-captain by Jose Mourinho.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has only been a Manchester United player for days but according to The Sun, Jose Mourinho has handed the Swede a leadership role in the squad. The 34-year-old has been named a vice-captain by the Portuguese, who has decided that the striker will receive the armband in the absence of captain Wayne Rooney and deputy Michael Carrick. The Manchester United boss apparently asked Zlatan to take up the role of a vice-captain behind the two United veterans and the Swede was more than happy to agree to the role, as per the report.
The report also said that, according to an insider at United, the younger players in the squad are in awe of the striker’s personality and that the Swede is an obvious choice for the leadership role.
“Some of the other lads, especially the young ones, are in awe of Zlatan. He brings a presence to the place and people look up to him after everything that he has achieved through his career. He has experience at the highest level and is seen as an obvious captain when the other lads aren’t on the pitch,” the insider as quoted by The Sun.
Zlatan is no stranger to being a leader on the pitch. Although the striker took the captain’s armband only on a few occasions during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, the 34-year-old has been the captain of the Swedish national team for majority of his international career. The striker has the experience and charisma to lead a side as big as Manchester United and could be set to captain the Red Devils, if the need arises.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has already announced that he is set to retain Wayne Rooney as the skipper for his debut season at Old Trafford and with the presence of Michael Carrick and Zlatan in the team as deputies to the England international, the Portuguese can be rest assured of the availability of strong leaders on the pitch.
