Ancelotti in no doubt Ibrahimovic is improving

Carlo Ancelotti has no doubt Zlatan Ibrahimovic is improving with age, just as the Sweden striker claims.

In his final season for Paris Saint-Germain, Ibrahimovic scored 50 goals in all competitions as the French side completed a second successive domestic treble.

Despite turning 34 early in the campaign it proved to be the Swede’s most prolific, prompting him to claim: “I’m like a fine wine, I get better with age.”

Ancelotti, who coached Ibrahimovic during spells at AC Milan and PSG, agrees with the striker’s suggestion that he is continuing to improve in the latter stages of his career.

“The thing about Ibra is this is a guy who always wants to win. I hear people saying that in some games he looks like he isn’t trying,” the Italian wrote in The Telegraph.

“Trust me, this guy would chase the last pass in the last minute of a training session in July if he thought he could get the goal that won the eight-a-side.

“It’s just that different players operate in different ways and Ibra knows that he has to conserve himself for the big moments. He can play in very tight spaces and his physique means that he can move defenders around too.

“I know that he is 34 years old but anyone who has ever worked closely with footballers – and knows a thing or two about their fitness and their stamina – can see that Ibra is not your typical 34-year-old.

“When he says that he is getting better, he means it. He’s certainly better than any 34-year-old footballer I know.”