Manchester United superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed that the Old Trafford outfit are not as strong as his previous team – Paris Saint-Germain. The Swedish striker made the switch from Parc des Princes to the red half of Manchester in the summer on a free transfer and has yet to hit peak form for the Red Devils.
The 35-year-old also disclosed that Jose Mourinho played a huge part in him moving to Manchester United and that it was a phone call from the Portuguese that made the decision even easier for him. Ibrahimovic also claimed that it was a challenge for the Red Devils to win the Premier League and it one he was up for.
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Speaking in an interview with Aftonbladet, Ibrahimovic said: "The presence of Mourinho was very much decisive. The team I signed for this summer is not as strong as the one I left, 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 a United 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."
The former Barcelona man then labelled his team as underdogs for the Premier League title, despite the lavish spending on signings in the summer. He also highlighted that the Red Devils have struggled since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and should first focus on getting to the top of the table.
To emphasise more on the predicament of his team, Ibrahimovic brought an instance from earlier this season when Manchester United lost 3 games in one week before adding that it was something that has never happened to him in 15 years. He was probably referring to the period in mid-November when Mourinho’s side lost to Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford.
"I said from the start that we are underdogs, we are not favourites to win the title this season," he added.
"With all the new signings this summer, people were getting all excited. But it has been four or five years that the club has not won the league or been in the top of the table. That is something we work on.
"We started off well with a few wins in a row. Then we started losing, and we lost playing badly, by several goals. We had a week when we lost three games, that has never happened to me in 15 years."
Manchester United currently sit at 6th place in the Premier League table with 19 points from 12 games and find themselves 9 points behind league leaders Chelsea. Mourinho’s men were held to a 1-1 draw by Arsenal at Old Trafford on Saturday but Ibrahimovic missed the match due to a suspension. The mercurial striker has so far scored 8 goals in 14 appearances for the Red Devils in all competition.
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