Former Newcastle star David Ginola has claimed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return to the Manchester United squad could pose a problem for Jose Mourinho ahead of their clash this Saturday.
Ibrahimovic has been named in United’s squad for the visit of Newcastle, marking his return to football after a serious knee injury kept him out for seven months.
While one would expect the Swede’s return to benefit United, Ginola thinks the opposite might be true as Mourinho looks to reintegrate the outspoken star.
Speaking to Talksport, Ginola said: “Zlatan is a player you put in the starting eleven. If not, leave him at home because he will not be helpful. He is not a super sub. He wants to play, he wants to shine, he wants to be the top man. He was like that at Barcelona, he was like that at AC Milan, he was like that at Paris Saint-Germain.
“Lukaku is the main man [right now], surrounded by young players like Rashford and Martial.Zlatan is the man so playing him and Lukaku… When Zlatan played in Paris alongside Cavani, Cavani couldn’t say a word. Cavani was relieved when Zlatan left Paris.
“It is going to be interesting in the next few weeks to see how Mourinho manages that.”
OPINION
Zlatan is undoubtedly a man who likes being the centre of attention. His serious knee injury seriously hampered United last season and they will surely be keen to have him back playing. Ginola’s comments do ring true, but it is doubtful that Zlatan’s return will affect United against Newcastle this weekend. He will not expect to walk back into a team that have been playing so well, and a slow reintegration is the obvious option. Longer term, Zlatan’s return might pose a problem as him and Lukaku vie for the striker spot, but if Mourinho somehow finds a way to play them both together then United will have one of the most dangerous strikeforces the Premier League has ever seen.