Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be an accident waiting to happen at Manchester United, according to his former international teammate Pontus Kamark.
There’s no secret that Ibrahimovic possesses one of the larger egos in world football and, while that’s sometimes a positive thing for athletes, a chance exists that it will blow up in Jose Mourinho’s face.
Kamark, who was at the helm of Sweden’s defence when Ibrahimovic broke into the international set-up, has issued a stern warning to United fans as he has claimed that Ibrahimovic’s arrival could lead to trouble if he is not treated as the club’s number one commodity.
“Hopefully they get along, him and Rooney — and if they do I think it is going to be the perfect match,” Kamark told the Mirror. “If they don’t, he is going to create a lot of problems.
“You can have both sides with Zlatan. He takes a lot of space and there can be a lot of trouble around him but he can also make things happen that would be difficult without him.”
The 34-year-old has already made an impact on the United team, after his late header delivered the Community Shield to Old Trafford last weekend, and his polarising personality has been well documented throughout his career.
Ibrahimovic has had the luxury of being the biggest name in recent seasons for both club and country but with the arrival of Paul Pogba, the Swedish legend is likely going to have some competition in the ego-stakes in the dressing room.
And with Mourinho in charge, fireworks are very possible.
“He has been in all kinds of arguments,” Kamark continued. “He called even Pep Guardiola ‘The Philosopher’ because Messi felt threatened about his superiority and Zlatan doesn’t want to be No.2.
“If someone comes in his way, he fights them. He can kick you down in training. He does whatever it takes to be on the throne. That can be for good and for bad — especially if someone doesn’t accept that.
“He always finds something because he can never be second best – Zlatan has to be No.1.”
It’s not all bad news from Kamark as he has predicted that, if Ibrahimovic’s ego can be stroked, he could turn into a fan favourite at Old Trafford.
“I think he is a good player for Manchester United and see him almost like an Eric Cantona,” he said.
“Man United have lost in recent years a little bit of their profile and slipped from being a winning team.
“When David Moyes came he even said in the derby against Man City, ‘We are not the favourites’. You don’t say that as a Man United player and Zlatan would never say that either.
“I think in that aspect he is a winner and he might help the team in the future.
“He is not young but if they can get the best out of Zlatan for a season or one-and-a-half seasons I think that could be very beneficial for Man United.”
