Life is pretty good at the moment for Manchester United fans, who see their club back on top of the Premier League, back in the Champions League and have hailed the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the books of their historic club.
However today manager Jose Mourinho suggested the Swede will not be available until the second half of the season and all but ruled the striker out of the Champions League group stage.
Mourinho’s men will face Benfica, Basel and CSKA Moscow, although, interestingly, he has included the 35-year-old in his squad for Europe perhaps setting the player a private goal of a possible early return to action.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of the home tie with Leicester City on Saturday evening, Mourinho spoke of re-signing Ibrahimovic and the duty he felt the club owed the player.
Ibra’s contract with the club ran out during the summer after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in April while in action for the Reds.
Asked when his new number ten will return to action, Mourinho said:
“I don’t want to think about it. I don’t even ask him or the medical team about it. He will be an extra man for us in the second part of the season. When I say that, normally we say January– after Christmas – when the transfer window reopens. But I have no idea at all. I think the right way is not even think or speak about it and let him do his work step by step.
“It shows us the dimension of the player and the dimension of the club. It would be very easy for him to say goodbye, that’d be enough. Won the cup, big injury, goodbye. He doesn’t want to do that, he wants to follow his other dreams and play at the highest level.”
Mourinho elaborated on why they brought the Swede back to Old Trafford:
“A club like United, in my opinion, has to show how big it is in the details. This is a big detail. A player who gets injured in a United shirt, fighting for United, the club has to be there for him.“He won’t be ready for the group phase.“There isn’t any chance of that. Do we have space in the list? Yes, so we don’t need to leave any player outside of the list, but I’m not thinking of Zlatan playing any part in the group phase. Hopefully he can play in the knock-out.”
Ibrahimovic has famously never lifted the Champions League despite playing for a host of European clubs including Barcelona, AC Milan and Juventus.
After winning the Europa League last season he will be hoping he can end this campaign after returning from injury, lifting the trophy he craves on May 26 in Kiev.
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