Ex-Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has explained why he left Manchester United earlier this year having only entered his second year at the club. The 37-year-old joined MLS side LA Galaxy in January following his recovery from an ACL injury which he sustained in the 2016/2017 Europa League quarter-finals against Anderlecht.
After signing a new one-year extension prior to the start of 2017/2018 season, Zlatan terminated his contract in March 2018 having been used sparingly by Jose Mourinho. The former Juventus, Barcelona, AC Milan and PSG ace subsequently ended his career with the Red Devils accumulating 29 goals in 53 appearances.
During an interview with BBC Sport, Zlatan revealed the motive behind his move away from Manchester United.
"This was a new challenge for me and I said I would come back when I was ready and I would play exactly as I did before. When I cannot do that I will not continue in football because I'm not here for charity," the striker declared.
"After my injury, when I was selected, I said to Jose Mourinho, 'I do not want to disappoint you or my team-mates. You had a Zlatan before the injury and you had one after the injury and I cannot give you the Zlatan that you are used to, that's why I will not give you this Zlatan because I'm not ready.'
"My second year at United, I was not feeling ready, I was feeling different, it was like I was starting at zero and I had to teach my knee how to play football again. After a while my confidence grew, I needed a new environment to feel that I was comfortable."
In recent times, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been heavily linked with a return to AC Milan on a six-month loan deal. According to multiple Italian sources including Sports Mediaset, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Radio Rossonera, a deal to bring the LA Galaxy star back to San Siro is close.
The only factors said to be delaying the completion of the deal is with the salary and the length of the contract.
