The Swede has had his struggles with injury this season.
Jose Mourinho does not expect Zlatan Ibrahimovic to remain at Manchester United beyond the current season. The Swede has struggled with injuries this season, failing to fully recover from the serious knee injury picked up last April.
The 36-year-old, who has been linked with a move to the MLS in recent weeks, revealed he is closing in on a return to competitive action after suffering a recurrence of the injury on St Stephen’s Day, but even if he does return it looks as though it will be the final chapter of his time at Old Trafford.
“For 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 during his Friday press conference.
“I think he won the right of choosing his life, his future. Such an amazing player and amazing career, only that awful injury in the wrong moment broke a fantastic couple of seasons he could and should have with us.
“This season has been really difficult for him,” he added.
“He’s not injured. Does he feel totally happy, ready and convinced that he’s in conditions to help the team in this moment? 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.
“Hopefully his evolution brings him to that level he wants to have a positive answer.”
The boss has provided an update on the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic… #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 2, 2018
Ibrahimovic this week admitted that he finds a potential move to the MLS tempting, but it seems the former Barcelona and PSG striker will not be rushed into making a definitive decision on his future.
“I did not know that several Swedes went to MLS,” Ibrahimovic told Swedish reporters, at the opening of a Padel racquet sport centre in Stockholm this week. “That means it’s tempting to play in the United States.
“Los Angeles is a nice city and I’ve been there a lot on vacation. It is laid back. I think it’s rumours all the time [about my future]. When I play and when I do not play it is rumours. That’s good, that means I live.”
Ibrahimovic joined United on a free transfer after leaving PSG in the summer of 2016. He scored 28 goals in 46 appearances last season, helping the club clinch the League Cup and Europa League during his first season in England.
