Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is thoroughly convinced that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay at the club for two years. The Swedish striker had joined the Red Devils on a free transfer in July and had signed a one-year contract but there is an option to sign on for another year.
The 34-year-old who arrived at Old Trafford after a successful four-year spell with Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain had waited till his contract had run out on 30 June before announcing his move to the Premier League club on his various social media channels. Ibrahimovic, who turns 35 in October, was one of Mourinho's star signings this summer apart from defender Eric Bailly and midfielders Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba, who signed for a world record fee of £89m from Juventus.
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:I see him happy,” the new Portuguese manager said. “I ask about his family, his wife, his kids – I know how important these things are to him. Everything is fine and everybody is happy.
“He has a very high motivation,” Mourinho continued. “So I see him here, no doubts, for the next two years.”
Questions were raised on whether Ibrahimovic would survive in the hustle-bustle and fast-paced nature of the Premier League given his age. But having scored 50 goals in all competitions for PSG last season, which included 38 in the league, the striker has already opened his account when he scored on his EPL debut when Manchester United beat Bournemouth 3-1 away at Dean Court on the opening weekend of the 2016/17 season.
I could stay for more than two years: Ibrahimovic
The Premier League is Ibrahimovic’s sixth league after having played in the Swedish league (Malmo), the Dutch Eredivisie (Ajax), the Italian Serie A (Juventus, Inter and AC Milan), the Spanish Liga (Barcelona), Ligue 1 (PSG) and now the EPL (Manchester United). Although many players his age usually leave the league at this stage of their careers, Ibrahimovic made the decision to play in England and further enhance his legacy.
“I don't believe there is anybody who could say no to a club like Manchester United,” he had said in an interview with Sky Sports. Even the name sounds cool. I'm super excited.
“I will never turn down a challenge, so when this challenge was presented to me I would never turn it down. I will take the challenge, work hard, I will sacrifice.”
When he was asked whether he envisioned himself playing at Old Trafford for two years, he said: “Let's see what happens. You never know.
“It could be more than two, it could be more than three, let’s see how long I feel like I can perform.
“I will not be somewhere only because I am Ibrahimovic. I will be somewhere because I can perform and bring results,” he concluded.
