Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 16 goals for Manchester United this season
Jose Mourinho insists in-form Zlatan Ibrahimovic will see out his career with Manchester United rather than embark on a swansong in America or China.
The 35-year-old Swede is United’s top scorer having netted 16 times in 25 games, including 10 in his past nine, and Mourinho has said he intends to exercise the second-year option on the contract Ibrahimovic signed in the summer.
His immediate future may well be at Old Trafford and, beyond that, Mourinho does not expect the well-travelled striker to bow out with a lucrative stint in Major League Soccer or the Chinese Super League.
Ibrahimovic has been in a rich vein of goal-scoring form for United
Mourinho said: “I’m really happy for him. Maybe some people thought he was a top scorer but not any more at 35 years old. But for him, 35 is the same as 25, Ligue 1 is the same as the Premier League.
“He scores goals, he plays well and I’m really happy for him because he will end his career on a high, which is amazing. He’s not ending his career in America or in China, he’s ending his career at the top of the top.
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“I’m really pleased with him. His record is good and he can improve. With no penalties, which is amazing too because normally the other guys that are top scorers around the world, they score a lot of penalties. He has had one penalty in 17 Premier League matches so I couldn’t be happier.”
While Ibrahimovic quickly settled in his new surroundings, the process for fellow summer arrival Mourinho has not seemed to be as serene.
United’s indifferent form, a succession of FA charges and living in a Manchester hotel had all presented challenges for the Portuguese in his new job.
But he insists he has been comfortable embracing the task of taking charge of one of the world’s biggest football teams.
Ibrahimovic celebrates with Jose Mourinho after scoring at Bournemouth
“For me, it was easy – it’s a difficult job but easy to feel at home, easy to feel good in the club, easy to feel that the club wants to progress, the people want to be happy again,” he added.
“I felt good immediately so five, six months here, but really feeling at home; for me it was quite easy.
“Obviously expectations are high, results…up and down and we are in a position that is not the position where we want to be. But in terms of passion for my work, passion for my new club, I’m feeling really happy here, yes.”
Source: Press Association and SkySports