Jose Mourinho is reportedly not entirely satisfied with his striking options having signed Romelu Lukaku in a record £100m deal and could continue their pursuit of the out of favour Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata. Real Madrid’s high valuation of the player coupled with interest from other clubs, notably Chelsea, could make the deal ever more complicated forcing United to look elsewhere. The Portuguese may be forced into looking at short term solutions having already spent a mammoth amount in the transfer window, and who better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic to provide the short-term fix.
The Swede, currently at Carrington, recuperating from his injury last season, could provide ballast to United’s attack as a cover for Lukaku. The 35-year-old is under no doubts that he would carry on playing after his injury lay-off with offers from China and USA on the table, could give United another go if reports are to be believed.
Ibrahimovic was crucial to United last season, before he tore ligaments in his knee, scoring a whopping 17 goals and 5 assists in 27 starts in the league. The Swede also proved invaluable in United’s Europa League triumph returning impressive figures of 5 goals and 3 assists out of 11 appearances despite not being able to make any contribution in the final stages of the competition.
Mourinho is keenly watching the rehabilitation of the player and could be among the first ones to offer a new deal to the player if he feels United’s firepower up front is not up to the mark, by the time January rolls in, which is when the 35-year-old is set to be back from his lengthy layoff.
Although unlikely, the move would make sense for both the player and the club, given the fact that Ibrahimovic gets to display his craft at the very highest level; and Mourinho can have his trusted general by his side with a huge presence in the dressing room, helping allay frayed nerves ahead of crucial Champions League run-ins et al.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had famously said in his autobiography that he’d die for Jose Mourinho. “I felt increasingly that this guy gives everything for the team, so I want to give everything for him”, said the player. “People were willing to kill for him.”
Although a great player with a big-game presence, it would be less than ideal if Mourinho has to resort to bringing Zlatan back to the club, having just concluded the signing of Lukaku and possibly still pursuing Morata. The likes of Martial and Rashford coming good in tandem with the big signings, already concluded and soon to follow, would avert a last resort scenario of getting Zlatan back in the team.
