Written by Mark Rodden at ESPN.FC
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit is not convinced that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is guaranteed to be a success at Manchester United.
On Thursday, Ibrahimovic, 34, used his social media accounts to confirm that he would be joining United as a free agent after spending four years at Paris Saint-Germain.
Ibrahimovic was a huge hit in France, finishing with 38 league goals in his final season and leaving the French capital as PSG’s all-time leading goal scorer.
He failed to score for Sweden at Euro 2016, however, and Petit is worried that Ibrahimovic, who turns 35 in early October, could struggle to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
“There’s already an emblematic player [at Manchester United] who’s starting to drag his weight around the pitch a little bit — Wayne Rooney — in a very physical league, where it’s often box-to-box and where you really ask your forwards to have a physical dimension,” the ex-France international told RMC.
“Maybe Ibra can bring a different touch, but he’s not the player that I was expecting at Manchester United, to be honest. Maybe I’m mistaken — I don’t know. I think it’s a bit of a gamble.”
Petit’s former Arsenal and France teammate Patrick Vieira, though, says Manchester will become the “capital of football” once Ibrahimovic arrives.
New York City FC manager Vieira played alongside Ibrahimovic when they were both at Inter Milan along with new United manager Jose Mourinho.
“He is a good friend of mine and we spent time together at Juventus and at Inter,” Vieira is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “We are still in touch once in a while and we have massive respect for each other.
“What I really like about him is his character. He is a winner — a guy who can drive the team because of his character and that is a very good signing for Manchester United.”
To continue reading this article, click here.
