He will always be Zlatan – Pogba backs Ibrahimovic to return strongly

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is believed to be heading for the exit at Manchester United, but Paul Pogba expects him to remain one of the game’s best players.

In his debut season at Old Trafford, Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals and supplied 10 assists before a serious knee injury ended his campaign prematurely in April.

The 35-year-old has said he wants to stay despite having “lots of offers” from other clubs, but is not expected to be retained by United.

Regardless of where he ends up, Pogba is confident Ibrahimovic will continue to be a winner once he returns from injury.

“He is a player who helped us a lot from an athletic point of view as well as from the mental side on and off the pitch,” Pogba told Sky Sports.

“He’s a wonderful person, incredibly funny, I only spend great moments with him.

“On the pitch he is a winner, he added this mentality to our team.

“He scored a lot of goals this season, nobody would have thought that given his age.

“He was unlucky and suffered a bad injury but he won three trophies with us. He will always be Zlatan.”