This is extremely disappointing news if reports coming in are true! The great Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to announce his retirement from international football once the EURO 2016 is over. The big swede has had a brilliant domestic and international career so far.
The news has been published on Marca who state that Swedish outlets Expressen and Dagens Nyheter have confirmed that the national team’s talisman will end his international career after playing for Sweden in one last tournament.
Zlatan is currently a free agent after choosing not to renew his contract with Paris-Saint Germain at the end of the 2015/16 season. The 34-year-old helped the Parisians lift their 4th consecutive Ligue 1 title in record time. They wrapped up the league by matchday 30 and finished the campaign, an unbelievable 29 points ahead of 2nd placed Lyon.
With the striker now a free agent several teams will be vying for signature. But the club most linked with him are Manchester United. The Red Devils recently appointed Jose Mourinho as their new manager after sacking Louis van Gaal.
Ibrahimovic is known to have a close relationship with Jose and has admitted he misses playing under his former boss. The two first came together in Inter Milan when Ibrahimovic helped the club lift the Serie A title but couldn’t win the UEFA Champions League trophy.
Agent plays down United rumours
Despite the several reports of Zlatan moving to United and the player himself suspiciously chuckling in an interview when asked about the same his agent Mino Raiola has played down talks of a move to the club.
“There are some clubs in England, a few clubs in Europe, some outside Europe, but everyone assumes he must go to Manchester United and it’s not true.” he told Expressen. Mourinho will be looking to overhaul the squad in the summer to build a title winning team,
The striker department is something that everyone feels lacks star quality and Ibrahimovic will give them exactly that. Even at this late age there seems to be no end to his goalscoring exploits and that alone should be enough for a team to make a move.
The striker himself said that his age has not stopped him from playing. “Age is just a number, it's all mental; if I want to do something, I will do it.”. Bringing in a player like Zlatan will also help attract other stars to the club, something the Portuguese manager will be keen to make use of.
