Zlatan Ibrahimovic opens up about Manchester United experience; labels Premier League 'overrated'

What's the story?

Former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has lifted the lid on his experience in English football. He expressed his liking for the fast-paced Premier League but labelled it a 'little bit overrated'. The star striker also stated that he is proud of his achievements at Manchester United.

In case you didn't know...

After having tasted silverware in Netherlands, Spain, France and Italy, the Swedish legend set out to Manchester to try his luck at the English top-flight. Although he didn't add the Premier League to his illustrious trophy cabinet, the 37-year-old lifted the League Cup and the Europa League crown.

The heart of the matter

Ibrahimovic took almost no time to become a favourite at Old Trafford. His messages to the fans, love for the city and a pinch of arrogance won the hearts of the Manchester United faithful. He struck an impressive 29 goals in 53 appearances for the Red Devils.

Had he not sustained a knee ligament injury, the forward would have undoubtedly scored a few more.

Speaking to FourFourTwo about what inspired him to switch to Manchester United, he remarked:

“I’d had a long career before I came – different kinds of countries, different kinds of clubs. People said, ‘You don’t need to go to England, because if you fail in England, people will always say you weren’t good enough’. Everybody was against it. And guess what? That made me motivated. That gave me adrenaline."

Here's what he thinks of the Premier League's pace and quality:

“I liked the Premier League. I found it very motivating and very exciting. It gets a lot of attention, although I feel the quality is a little bit overrated – the individual quality, the technical part. But the rhythm is high. Even if you are the best, if you can’t handle the rhythm, the pace, then you will not succeed, because the pace is very high.”

He also mentioned that he was proud of what he achieved at the Theatre of Dreams. Signing off in typical Zlatan style, he boasted:

“As I said when I was in England, you’re lucky I didn’t come 10 years ago, because if I did what I did at 35 years old, imagine it if I was 25. Then it would have been a different story. I came there and they said I came in a wheelchair. All the people that talked, in the whole Premier League, I put them in a wheelchair. That’s what I did.”

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Ibrahimovic certainly destroyed many English defences.

What's next?

Zlatan is still going strong and has taken the MLS by storm. He has already notched 22 goals in 27 outings for LA Galaxy, a tally that includes a handful of screamers. He is expected to continue in the same vein.

Meanwhile, his former club Manchester United face a tough run of fixtures against Juventus and fierce rivals Manchester City as they look to continue their resurgence after a mixed start to the season.