Home of football statistics and historyManchester United have started the new Premier League campaign with a head of steam, as two 4-0 victories over West Ham and Swansea show that the Red Devils look to be title contenders in 2017-18.
Jose Mourinho has clearly fine-tuned his squad over the summer and the Old Trafford outfit look like a much-more dangerous proposition this term as a result.
The signing of Romelu Lukaku already looks like inspired business despite the hefty £75 million transfer fee, with United’s new number nine scoring three times in his first two Premier League games for the club.
With Mourinho’s men firing themselves to the top of the Premier League table, odds at this Swedish casino are short on United becoming English champions next May.
The signings of Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof have clearly strengthened the Old Trafford squad and as such it would not be a major surprise if there were no more new faces before the end of the month.
But, one name continues to be linked to United and it is a man the fans know well – Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Swedish striker was the Red Devils’ top scorer last season before being released at the end of the campaign, with talk in the press that the Scandinavian veteran could move back to Italy or to the MLS.
With neither of these options happening as yet and Ibrahimovic still on the market, there has been intense speculation that United may well look to bring the former Paris Saint-Germain star back to Old Trafford – but do they need him?
There is no doubting that Ibrahimovic is a world-class player, with success following him wherever he has played.
The veteran could still be a real attacking weapon in the United team, while his ability to help Lukaku improve in a mentoring role could be a masterstroke.
However, the proven striker suffered a serious injury towards the end of last season and despite the 35-year-old posting videos on social media to prove his fitness, there is a question mark over his physical condition.
Ibrahimovic has also become acutely accustomed to being the first name on the team sheet at both club and international level – but this would no longer be guaranteed with the Red Devils.
While the Swede would be an excellent deputy to Lukaku given that United are playing in four competitions this season, it would be very interesting to see how he reacted to being second fiddle.
Ibrahimovic is a big talent but he is also a big personality, with his ego and pride potentially doing more harm than good to a United group that looks to be working seamlessly in-sync currently.
As such, there are certainly pros and cons for United in their decision over re-signing the striker, with Mourinho’s ability to manage the situation and a player not accustomed to being a back-up the ultimate factor in deciding whether Ibrahimovic’s return would be a success.
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