Rui Faria’s heavy sarcasm when talking about Mark Clattenburg’s performance during United’s game again Burnley was widely commented upon this weekend, but Faria was being serious when he went on to praise Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a big player, a “top player” who knows how to deal with these tough periods.
Zlatan had played his part in creating the conditions where Manchester United should have scored. “More importantly,” Faria added, “we should be worried if we don’t create chances.”
On another day, Ibrahimovic could have had a hat-trick, as long as that other day wasn’t the day United played Liverpool or Chelsea.
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Against Burnley, Zlatan had twelve shots and managed to give the appearance of a player who can make things happen at Manchester United, even if the only thing truly worth happening as far as Manchester United are concerned when they play Burnley at home is that they win.
United had 37 shots without scoring against Burnley, the most since records began, bringing to mind the 81 crosses United put in against Fulham in 2014, which was another record, although they did score twice that afternoon.
This is, of course, Zlatan’s longest spell without a league goal since 2010 and while Tom Heaton might have been responsible for denying him against Burnley, his presence at Old Trafford remains another fascinating aspect of the modern Manchester United story.
In an interview with the Financial Times at the weekend, Ibrahimovic’s agent, Mino Raiola explained what he felt United were getting when they signed his player.
“Martial and Depay come in and say, ‘We have to carry Manchester United, a giant institute?’ So already last year I told the people at United, ‘You’ll have to put in a guy like Zlatan to restore the balance.’ Then the attention goes to Zlatan. He has the experience, and dares take the responsibility.”
Raiola says that at a club like United where he has a number of players – Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are the others – he acts as an “in-house consultant”.
Raiola’s interpretation of his role at the club may differ from Manchester United’s, but his interview, when he went on to describe the failed negotiations that took place with Alex Ferguson over Paul Pogba, had the ring of truth, given that Ferguson described Raiola in his most recent book as a man “I distrusted from the moment I met him”.
Raiola recalled that Ferguson called him a t**t during the negotiations with Pogba which, given Ferguson’s advice to Dave Brailsford about how to succeed in management (“get rid of the c***s”) gives the whole thing an air of authenticity.
In the post-Ferguson world, Raiola is now describing himself as an in-house consultant at the club, while Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay have, to varying degrees, been moved to the margins in Jose Mourinho’s United, while Zlatan has become a permanent fixture.
This is an era of great change at Old Trafford. The signings of Zlatan, Pogba and Mkhitaryan are representative of the new Manchester United. But, in its own way, this United is a return to the traditions of the old Manchester United, but the United of Ron Atkinson, of whom it was once said he was trying to sign Michel Platini “in case United get a free-kick on the edge of the box”.
If Zlatan had scored instead of nearly breaking Heaton’s arm with a shot on Saturday, then he would have provided one of those moments, proving the worth in recruiting someone in case United need a player who can deliver a scissor-kick in the box.
Zlatan was an early signing by Mourinho at Manchester United, a development which may once again demonstrate that, where the manager is concerned, the things that were his strengths may have become his weaknesses. Ibrahimovic’s arrival could be viewed as a sign of the manager’s insecurity rather a statement of intent.
Ibrahimovic may have the presence and experience to welcome the challenge at Manchester United, but at 35, he may no longer be capable of taking the responsibility, no matter how much daring he is prepared to do.
There would have been a time in his career when he would have excelled at United, and it presumably was not the intention for the club to have to rely on him as much as they have this season.
Zlatan does, of course, venerates Mourinho, a manager Ibrahimovic was “willing to die for”, a coach whose methods were in stunning contrast to Pep Guardiola’s.
Mourinho would have understood the personality Zlatan could bring to United, as would others in the club who have embraced the idea of signing star players and might have noted that Ibrahimovic has six million more followers on Instagram than United do.
He hasn’t lost those followers, but Zlatan’s struggles suggest he will not provide the solutions Mourinho intended, and instead he will soon become a player whose failings the manager needs to address as he has addressed the Rooney issue.
Mourinho has other problems, ending a week when he complained about the public nature of existence in a five-star hotel by becoming an exhibit again as he moved around Old Trafford trying to find the right place to sit once he was sent from the bench.
Mourinho’s accommodation struggles are somewhat old-fashioned too, bringing to mind the time when sporting personalities had nothing better to do than hang around hotels talking to admirers and being accessible.
Now Mourinho is unwittingly recalling those lost lamented times by struggling to get a haircut in his hotel without being pestered while he lives his solitary existence in the public eye.
Mourinho got the old gang back together when he brought Zlatan to Old Trafford, but it has just created another problem. They signed a player with the personality to play for United, but if someone like Marcus Rashford represents the future, Zlatan looks like a doomed attempt to recreate the past.
