Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reportedly committed his future to Manchester United and will hold talks with the club soon
According to a report by Sky Sports, Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino Raiola has stated that he wants to remain at Manchester United next season.
The 35-year-old has played a brilliant first season with the Red Devils and scored 28 goals in 46 appearances, before being ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a cruciate knee ligament injury during United’s 2-1 Europa League win over Anderlecht back in April.
Ibrahimovic has undergone surgery for the same and it is still unclear as to how long he will take to recover fully. However, his agent seems confident enough that the striker will return next season and stay at United if the club are willing to extend his contract.
He also had to miss out on United’s triumph at the Europa League as they defeated Ajax to pick up the one missing piece of silverware from their trophy cabinet.
However, Manchester United have been eyeing several high-class strikers this season. Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid seems to be Jose Mourinho’s top priority as reports suggest that the Frenchman could be on his way to Old Trafford this summer.
They have also been poised to keep an eye on Gareth Bale of Real Madrid and Ivan Perisic of Inter Milan. If either of these transfers go through, Ibrahimovic’s role is likely to get reduced at the club. As the situation stands right now, the Swede is the club’s talisman as far as attack and goals are concerned.
United have struggled in that department ever since his injury but players like Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba have been holding the fort. With either Griezmann or Bale signing for the Red Devils, Ibrahimovic’s playing time will surely take a hit.
Considering his age and uncertain recovery time, it is doubtful as to whether he will be able to maintain his form or not in the fast-paced world of the Premier League especially when there is an abundance of fresh talent.
Zlatan was being targeted by Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy before his knee injury. If he were to join them, he will have to wait until March 2018 for the regular season to start.
As of now though, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed a desire to play for Manchester United next season and while he will still be an asset, his long-term future remains uncertain.