Ibrahimovic or Cavani?

Sir Erik ten Hag

Full Member
Joined
May 21, 2022
Messages
1,525
Something I've just realized: These 2 players were competing for the main striker spot at PSG. They both joined us and spent 2 years here (With 1 year being available and 1 year being near absent all the time). Both were free when they joined us too.

Who do you think had the better stint here?
 
Zlatan.

Cavani was a hard worker but Zlatan was special even being past his best. We could have easily got another top season out of him if it wasn’t for that injury, where as Cavani just decided he couldn’t be arsed anymore.
 
Like the rest of his career, Zlatan's time here is criminally overrated.
 
Ibrahimovic easily his injury was a disaster which led to us buying Lukaku. Cavani was a huge waste of money barely ever available.
 
Cavani - 41 games, 12 goals.
Ibra - 33 games, 17 goals.

Just on the pure stats it's a no contest surely?
 
I think both were brilliant for us considering everything but I'll pick Zlatan. In my opinion we played our best football in the post Ferguson era with him in the team. His ability to drop and help in building up plays and attacks made us tick. He wasn't very clinical but you can't get everything I guess.

Cavani was very clinical, was a proper 9 and scored many great goals for us but I do think the team played better with Zlatan in charge.
 
Will go with Zlatan, and it would have been an even more clear cut decision if not for the injury.

That brace in the Carabao Cup final was memorable.
 
Whilst they were both here — I think Ibrahimovic. He was far more focussed and we won a few trophies. Though there was a big element of Mourinho indulging in him — a preferential treatment Cavani never truly got. I recall a Lukaku quote/anecdote where he states Ibrahimovic came onto the pitch and told Lukaku that the manager wanted him to play wide right. This wasn’t the case — Ibrahimovic just wanted the central areas unoccupied.

Cavani lost a lot of credit in the bank for me after deciding to essentially stop playing in his second season once we re-signed Ronaldo.

Their careers as a whole? That’s an interesting debate.
 
I always found Ibrahimovic overrated throughout his career, and it was no different here. It was cool seeing him play for us, and he did have some good performances with one great one against Southampton in the final, but, overall, I thought his general play was lacking. Despite his size and impressive technique, he wasn't that good at keeping the ball under pressure, which was a problem because he loved holding onto it for long periods. On top of that he missed so many sitters and was non-existent out of possession in terms of workrate. Understandably so.

I still have fond memories of him, though, and am glad we got to see him here for one season. I wouldn't change the transfer. One of my favourite memories of him was an away game - I forget who against - and we were trying to see the game out and Zlatan took it upon himself to play as our DM which was fun.

I was actually more impressed with Cavani here but I think I'd still choose Zlatan. Not just the trophies he contributed to, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy playing here. In contrast to Cavani who didn't seem to have his heart in it here despite, when on the pitch, giving it his all.
 
Zlatan. United have a history of those players who have a real swagger and attitude (Best, Cantona, Ronaldo) and it was great watching Zlatan because he had that belief and confidence to play like he owned Old Trafford.

He could be pretty wasteful at times but if he hadn't been injured he would have easily hit 30-35 goals for the season. A real shame about the injury.
 
Ibra for sure and I'm sure he actually wanted to play here. Cavani only seemed interested in his first season.
 
Yagami said:
I always found Ibrahimovic overrated throughout his career, and it was no different here. It was cool seeing him play for us, and he did have some good performances with one great one against Southampton in the final, but, overall, I thought his general play was lacking. Despite his size and impressive technique, he wasn't that good at keeping the ball under pressure, which was a problem because he loved holding onto it for long periods. On top of that he missed so many sitters and was non-existent out of possession in terms of workrate. Understandably so.

I still have fond memories of him, though, and am glad we got to see him here for one season. I wouldn't change the transfer. One of my favourite memories of him was an away game - I forget who against - and we were trying to see the game out and Zlatan took it upon himself to play as our DM which was fun.

I was actually more impressed with Cavani here but I think I'd still choose Zlatan. Not just the trophies he contributed to, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy playing here. In contrast to Cavani who didn't seem to have his heart in it here despite, when on the pitch, giving it his all.
Click to expand...
Same for me, really (the stuff about his whole career too!). I think that’s why I said focussed — Ibrahimovic had brought into the project Mourinho was going for whereas Cavani was daytripping a historic big club for a big payout
 
Zlatan for me.

I liked Cavani. But, after he got that ridiculous suspension in his first year he just seemed to lose his mojo and he just seemed a lot more interested in his national team than in United.
 
Cavani can get fecked. A lot of people remark on how our players don’t try & this guy was the definition of downing tools, utter joke his tenure.
 
Cavani was here for a payday, Zlatan came for the project and to redeem himself on UK soil.
I think his injury hit us hard in some negative synergy ways. He had pogba and Raiola in check and he held the locker room in check. Glad we got a title out of that period.
 
Ibrahimovic's time here is overrated, he missed a shitload of chances in the league as we finished 6th. In fact, I think Pogba might have been better rated if Ibrahimovic was more clinical, Pogba laid on so many chances that season that United missed, that led to draws. Good in the League Cup though on the way to that win.

Cavani's ending here should be given in the context where he had a fine end to the season and then Ronaldo arrives and takes his jersey and he's dropped. Put Ibrahimovic in that position and he'd cause even more problems.
 
Mercurial said:
Cavani was here for a payday, Zlatan came for the project and to redeem himself on UK soil.
I think his injury hit us hard in some negative synergy ways. He had pogba and Raiola in check and he held the locker room in check. Glad we got a title out of that period.
Click to expand...
Say what now?
 
Zlatan, and it's not even close.

Cavani's time here is significantly overrated. He spent the majority of his first season only effective off the bench, and any time we started him he struggled to make an impact. It wasn't until the latter part of the season that he started being effective when starting games.

Zlatan's time here is probably a little overrated as well, but he was still far better for us than Cavani.
 
Zlatan for me even though I enjoyed seeing some of Cavani's movement when he played for us - and hoped he'd help number 11 on certain aspects of being a striker - and we know how that ended.

But that 2016/2017 season with Zlatan and Pogba pulling the stings through the middle was my favorite post-fergie season in terms of the football on show, and Zlatan was a huge, huge part of that. The little flicks, holding the ball up and sharp little turns were invaluable even if he was somewhat wasteful in front of goal.
 
Cavani down tools at United something Ibra would never do. Not that the Swede particularly loved us but simply because he had pride in his craft and in his reputation something Cavani seem to have lacked
 
They weren't competing for the main striker spot at PSG. Ibrahimovic was the undisputed center forward and Cavani was the undisputed left inside forward.
 
As stated. Zlatan was in here with both feet, cavani was in south America as long as possible on our pay. There was an insult comment from his camp before he signed saying he would go Manchester only for a payday. And we gave him the 7 shirt as well to top it off
 
On their own Ibra may have been the better player, but I didn't like his effect on our team. Everything revolved around him - all the plays went through him. Cavani was a better fit for us I feel. He scored goals, his movement was great but also he pressed like a maniac and was a great foil for Bruno, Greenwood and Rashford.

If I could bring either back right now it'd be Cavani. If I could take either at their peak it would also be Cavani.
 
Ibrahimovic is a better player but Cavani would have been a better signing for us if you offered us both at 24.
 
Mercurial said:
Cavani was here for a payday, Zlatan came for the project and to redeem himself on UK soil.
I think his injury hit us hard in some negative synergy ways. He had pogba and Raiola in check and he held the locker room in check. Glad we got a title out of that period.
Click to expand...

Zlatan came here to promote his clothing brand.
 
Definitely Zlatan. He had the swagger of Cantona. Just wish he had come a few years earlier. Fantastic player.
 
DWelbz19 said:
Same for me, really (the stuff about his whole career too!). I think that’s why I said focussed — Ibrahimovic had brought into the project Mourinho was going for whereas Cavani was daytripping a historic big club for a big payout
Click to expand...
I did get the same feeling myself. Like, none of us know the truth, and plenty will be on different sides of the coin, but I'm with you. I felt like Ibrahimovic was excited to work with José again and bought into his vision/project. Whereas, with Cavani, it felt like we were a stopgap.

Outside of what they produced here, I think the, say, vibes of the club during each of their time here plays a part in how they're remembered, too. Think of Zlatan's start and end here (which was basically his injury even though he stayed for another half season). He came to some serious excitement of us potentially being back - hiring José, bringing back Pogba, getting Mkhitaryan from Dortmund after the whole Raiola throwing a chair fiasco in the meeting :lol: Then, at the end, we had two trophies and thought we were going to kick on. It gives a good feeling of his time here even though we know it ended with disappointment.

Cavani never really experienced a buzz like that here. I don't think any of us really felt like we were going to kick on like before. It felt like a slog the majority of the time, and it didn't help that a good chunk of his time here was without fans.
 
Zlatan, Zlatan is a different player at 35 years of age compared to 25, Zlatan has evolved his play in a good way to suit his higher age. Zlatan were a Cavani a 23 (pure attacker) Cavani have always been a "Cavani".
 
Zlatan was a decent captain, strong dressing room influence on Lingard & Pogba. Cavani on the other hand had absolutely brilliant striker moments, and he chased almost every ball, while being in late stage of journey for a footballer.

Just another two players we should be signing long years earlier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.