Jose Mourinho has said Zlatan Ibrahimovic will score more Manchester United goals in one season than Michael Owen did in three years after the former England striker questioned the Swede.
Ibrahimovic, 35, has scored 13 goals in 23 appearances since arriving at Old Trafford as a free agent in the summer.
Owen -- who hit 17 goals in 52 appearances between 2009 and 2012 -- had said on BT Sport that Ibrahimovic "wasn't the long-term type of player."
But Mourinho responded to those remarks by telling the broadcaster: "Zlatan -- your colleague Michael Owen doesn't like him -- but the reality is that Zlatan will score more goals in one season than Michael Owen in three seasons.
"He scored 17 goals in three seasons. Zlatan is almost there in six months, so he's not a bad choice for us."
"My #MUFC goals were better value than Zlatan's." @themichaelowen gets his right of reply to Jose Mourinho... https://t.co/B20m3PUzrn
- BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) December 13, 2016
BT Sport played the video of Mourinho's comments back to Owen, who smiled and responded: "Managers are getting awfully touchy, aren't they?
"I think I said that Zlatan wasn't the long-term type of player, a little bit like Robin van Persie -- bought for a purpose, for one or two seasons.
"But at some point Man United have got to find the next Wayne Rooney, buying him at 18, 19, or producing one themselves."
Owen jokingly added that he thought "my goals were of more value to Man United because I cost about 10 percent of what Zlatan's on a week."