Zlatan Ibrahimovic is living his final months at Manchester United, as Jose Mourinho finally shed light on why the player hasn't played since late last year.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference for the game against Crystal Palace, Mourinho hinted that the Swedish ace will not return for a third season at Old Trafford.
"Zlatan – we all think it’s his last season at Manchester United and will be a very personal decision for him to play or to stop," Mourinho said.
"He has earned the right of choosing his life, his future – he is such an amazing player and had such an amazing career that only that awful injury in the wrong moment broke a fantastic couple of seasons he could and should have with us," the coach added.
Ibrahimovic has only scored one goal since coming back from a knee injury he picked up last year.
Mourinho also hinted that the it has been the player's choice to be left out of the squad for the past couple of months, since he doesn't feel fully fit to help Manchester United reach their collective goals.
"This season is really difficult for him, he’s not injured. Does he feel totally happy, ready and convinced he’s in condition to help the team? No. But he’s such an honest guy and such a champion he only wants to be back with that feeling of: ‘I’m totally ready for it. So he’s working hard and hopefully his evolution brings him to that level," Mourinho concluded.
Ibrahimovic has played 53 games for Manchester United, scoring 29 goals in all comps. He helped the team to win the UEFA Europa League, the FA Community Shield and the League Cup last season.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
