Football
Arindam Rej, Man United Correspondent 8y

Jose Mourinho praises Zlatan Ibrahimovic's impact at Man United

Jose Mourinho believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic's "big ego" can be used in a positive way for Manchester United.

Mourinho named summer signing Ibrahimovic in the 23-man squad that flew to Gothenburg for the friendly against Galatasaray on Saturday, meaning that the former Sweden striker is set to make his debut for his new club in his homeland.

The 34-year-old started training with United for the first time this week after his new teammates returned from their frustrating tour of China, when they lost 4-1 to Borussia Dortmund then had a game against Manchester City cancelled.

Speaking before United departed for Sweden, Mourinho told MUTV: "With Zlatan, you may see someone with a big ego, big self-esteem, but it is in a positive way. When he is with the group, he is humble and friendly to everyone -- integration is good.

"Zlatan is a fantastic player and, immediately in training, we could feel what I call 'functional empathy' -- people looking to him, him looking to connect with other players. He is an amazing link player, an amazing player. He could be anything on the pitch, not just a goalscorer."

Looking ahead to the prospect of making his United debut in Sweden, Ibrahimovic told MUTV: "Everybody has been waiting for that moment. There has been a lot of talk and to make my debut in my country will feel great. I think the fans are waiting for me to come back and they are waiting to enjoy not only me, but the team as well."

Mourinho added that the striker's language skills are helping him settle in. The United manager said: "Zlatan and Henrikh [Mkhitaryan] are fluent in English and in many other languages. They are good guys and experienced guys.

"Eric [Bailly] doesn't speak English too well, but he speaks French and Spanish, which makes it an easy position in this squad with all his teammates who speak those languages."

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