Ibrahimovic reveals five players said same negative thing about signing for Man Utd | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is seen during the charity football match Football Stars for Flood Victims in Slovenia.

Former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists he was warned off joining the Red Devils by five different players in 2016.

The Sweden international, who is regarded as one of the best players never to win the Champions League, spent one full season at Old Trafford before moving to Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy.

Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in his 53 appearances for Man Utd and helped them win the Europa League, League Cup and a Community Shield.

The striker announced his retirement from football earlier this year, after his second spell at AC Milan, with the Swedish legend finishing on 511 club career goals in 866 matches.

Despite being told not to join Man Utd by five different players, Ibrahimovic thrives on challenges and joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2016.

Speaking to a live audience in Italy, Ibrahimovic revealed how some players tried to deter him from moving to Manchester, he said: “At 35 there was the possibility of Manchester United where Mourinho arrived. But I was 35 and I asked many players if it was right to go to the Premier League at that age.

“I spoke to five players and everyone told me not to go because if I did badly they would all forget what I had done previously.

“So I made the decision: I’m going. It was my situation. The others walk on water, I walk on fire. These are the situations and the challenges that charge me.”

The former Man Utd striker added: “In England they criticised me, after two months they were all on my side.”

Man Utd have made a terrible start to the new season and Ibrahimovic recently gave his views on Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag in another interview.

Ibrahimovic told TalkTV: “Coming from Ajax to United as he did is a big difference — I have been in both clubs. You have a different kind of discipline.

“Ajax is a talented club. They have the best talents in the club. They don’t have big stars. What is the experience of this coach? Young talents, he comes to United, it is a different mentality.

“The players there are supposed to be big stars. I don’t think you give the same treatment.

“How much time do you give a coach? It depends on the owners, what they want, but if you listen to the fans, you don’t have a lot of time because they want to win, and I understand them because they are used to winning and they want to still win.”

Ibrahimovic added: “United has to win, they have to win every title they play for. Now they are being dominated by neighbours Manchester City and it’s a totally different situation there.

“Everybody has a responsibility to fulfil the demands.  You need to find the right path again and to push for that. You need a plan, you need a project to follow. It feels like you follow a project plan and then it goes wild in a moment because of the results.

“Either you believe in it or you don’t believe in it. But with the situation of the coach, I think he is living two different situations now. Then obviously what happened with Sancho and Cristiano, I don’t know.

“When things are good, there are still errors and problems, but you don’t see it because we are winning.”

Manchester United Zlatan Ibrahimovic