[A-man]

He was shit last season before the injury as well, barring the headers and tap ins - basically an IKEA Andy Carroll.

He’s a burden and a key reason United finished so low in the league last season, and improved markedly this season while he was in rehab. He’s stealing Rashford and Martial’s development minutes as the vice-9 behind Lukaku and they look subdued on the pitch with him; something similar happened with Cavani and a few other players he shared a pitch with, he’s an overbearing negative presence and that’s part of the reason Pep exiled him asap.

I find it hard to take this seriously. When Zlatan played in PSG they won the league for the first time in twenty years. They repeated that every year he played for them. The year after he’d left they didn’t win. He was the top scorer 3 times. The impact he had on the game was huge.

Yes of course he was in the way of Cavani’s personal career. He took Cavanis preferred position because he was the better player.

 

[Ardis]

Wonder how many of the folks here that are writing off Zlatan have had a severe knee injury?
Mourinho is saying he is still not ready to play 90 minutes and there are people here saying that he is finished.

 

[Sandikan]

He's hopeless just like last season.

With him playing our attack is dysfunctional.

and all those people that said he could play in the midfield LOL!

Time for the the kitten to be euthanised.

I don't think i'll bother reading your other 90 posts

 

[Sandikan]

Wonder how many of the folks here that are writing off Zlatan have had a severe knee injury?
Mourinho is saying he is still not ready to play 90 minutes and there are people here saying that he is finished.

It's the guys who say he was "rubbish" last season too, as if those 28 goals just pinged in off him

 

[Loublaze]

Wonder how many of the folks here that are writing off Zlatan have had a severe knee injury?
Mourinho is saying he is still not ready to play 90 minutes and there are people here saying that he is finished.

He's not getting his contract extended beyond this season and he only has half the season left to get back to his optimum levels. Its not really harsh to say he is finished overall but he could still go out with a bang. United were generous to offer him a new contract IMO.

 

[7even]

He's not getting his contract extended beyond this season and he only has half the season left to get back to his optimum levels. Its not really harsh to say he is finished overall but he could still go out with a bang. United were generous to offer him a new contract IMO.

Maybe you should wait a couple weeks before you make such a bold judgement. If, and God forbid, Lukaku gets injured I’m happy we have Zlatan as a back up.

 

[el3mel]

Maybe you should wait a couple weeks before you make such a bold judgement. If, and God forbid, Lukaku gets injured I’m happy we have Zlatan as a back up.

The main problem at this is our forwards will struggle to change their way of play from accommodating Lukaku to accommodate Zlatan. Both operates very differently and it'll be hard for our forwards to change from this to that.

 

[Z2United]

Any chance of Z starting. Would be interesting to see him and lukaku in the same line up for longer than a few minutes.

 

[shamans]

Maybe you should wait a couple weeks before you make such a bold judgement. If, and God forbid, Lukaku gets injured I’m happy we have Zlatan as a back up.

He's not good enough as a backup

 

[breakout67]

The main problem at this is our forwards will struggle to change their way of play from accommodating Lukaku to accommodate Zlatan. Both operates very differently and it'll be hard for our forwards to change from this to that.

I don't think they can adjust to Zlatan; Martial and Rashford are too limited in their skill set.

Zlatan is ridiculously good when he has runners on each side. Zlatan drops deep to be a playmaker and needs forwards to make runs into the space.

Lukaku has shown more promise on the wing with Zlatan than Martial and Rashford; because Lukaku is very effective at running the channels, using space, creating mismatches.

 

[Ardis]

He's not getting his contract extended beyond this season and he only has half the season left to get back to his optimum levels. Its not really harsh to say he is finished overall but he could still go out with a bang. United were generous to offer him a new contract IMO.

Not harsh, but extremely impulsive. A world class player with a tremendous physique comes back way ahead of schedule, making his way back slowly into the team after a serious knee injury, and all of a sudden he is "finished overall"? Haha, oh Lord. Crystal-clear judgement.

 

[Loublaze]

Not harsh, but extremely impulsive. A world class player with a tremendous physique comes back way ahead of schedule, making his way back slowly into the team after a serious knee injury, and all of a sudden he is "finished overall"? Haha, oh Lord. Crystal-clear judgement.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things. In five months his career at United and probably at the top level period will be over. If he doesn't go to the world cup I think he'll retire from football at the end of the season. He'll be a bit part player during this time so I don't expect him to get back to his best. I did say he could possibly go out with a bang.

 

[Ardis]

Yes, in the grand scheme of things. In five months his career at United and probably at the top level period will be over. If he doesn't go to the world cup I think he'll retire from football at the end of the season. He'll be a bit part player during this time so I don't expect him to get back to his best. I did say he could possibly go out with a bang.

I do believe we will have to wait and see how he plays when he is fully recovered before assuming that his career at United will be over in five months, or
that he won't be a top level player anymore. This is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not Duncan Ferguson.

 

[Canagel]

Why wasn't he brought on near the end of the game instead of Rashford? We all knew that Leicester would put lots of balls in to the box and I felt that Zlatan might have prevented that goal if he was on the pitch.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

He's just not a #10.

 

[shamans]

All his poor performances last season was masked by the goals he scored but he has lost that as well now.

 

[izec]

Pay off his contract and let him leave tomorrow

 

[K2K]

Should not be starting ahead of Jesse.

 

[Feed Me]

What a diabolical decision to hand him a contract. Missed heaps of sitters before being crocked and now he can barely move. Sums up everything that is wrong with United.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Looks shot since his injury.

 

[ivaldo]

The state of this thread.

 

[Art]

he's awful.

 

[Adisa]

The worst part is you know we won't take him off.

 

[LLMU]

He needs runners off him and we don’t have that in this game. Looks very static.

 

[liamp]

He's 36 and coming off of an ACL tear...I don't know what kind of superhuman return people were expecting but it's going to take a while for him to approach sharpness.

 

[Red Devil Rising]

We've looked decent going forward all season. Plonk him in the middle of it all and we look awful - not that surprising.

Missed heaps of sitters last season, should never have been given a new contract.

Everyone insists its great for the club to have such a "big character" at the club..theres a reason he's been shifted on from so many big clubs during his career.

 

[Lawman]

We've looked decent going forward all season. Plonk him in the middle of it all and we look awful - not that surprising.

Missed heaps of sitters last season, should never have been given a new contract.

Everyone insists its great for the club to have such a "big character" at the club..theres a reason he's been shifted on from so many big clubs during his career.

We have looked pretty disjointed for a few seasons now. Not sure we can blame Zlatan alone.

 

[automaticflare]

We have looked pretty disjointed for a few seasons now. Not sure we can blame Zlatan alone.

Agreed

But he has been terrible today

 

[Raoul]

We've looked decent going forward all season. Plonk him in the middle of it all and we look awful - not that surprising.

Missed heaps of sitters last season, should never have been given a new contract.

Everyone insists its great for the club to have such a "big character" at the club..theres a reason he's been shifted on from so many big clubs during his career.

Scored 28 goals for us as a 35 year old who didn't play the entire year. Find me a current player who has any chance of doing that.

 

[Beachryan]

If we're going to keep him, he needs starts - and this on paper is a good game to do it. Jose probably figured we'd have all of the ball and have issues walking it in - and Ibra is useful in those situations.

Unfortunately our 'luck' continues and we're 2 down, at which point his lack of movement and cover is seriously hurting.

Still far from the worst attacker on the pitch.

 

[Lawman]

Agreed

But he has been terrible today

Yes he’s been way off the pace.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

We've been by far the better team, and we've conceded two goals from set pieces. I think he's been ok, but he looks like a player in need of a preseason... but we can't offer that.

 

[bosnian_red]

He's 36 and coming off of an ACL tear...I don't know what kind of superhuman return people were expecting but it's going to take a while for him to approach sharpness.

He's never going to get that sharpness back, that's the thing. He's 36. Tore his ACL. This would've probably been his last season at this level without the ACL tear. With it, he's hopeless there.

 

[breakout67]

Subbed for Lingard

 

[Lijon]

He needs runners off him and we don’t have that in this game. Looks very static.

Exactly, so that might remain a problem even if comes back to form.

This must be a pretty hard spot for Mourinho. Not sure defensive chaos and 2 goals behind could have anything to do with Zlatan starting (unlucky?), but you can't really afford to drop points, at the same time Zlatan is not useful if he doesn't get a couple of games first.

 

[Kapardin]

He's 36 and coming off of an ACL tear...I don't know what kind of superhuman return people were expecting but it's going to take a while for him to approach sharpness.

Much sympathy for him, and I loved him last season, but it is time to say goodbye. Let him go in January and do all we can to get a proper #10 or a winger. I did not like the fact that we went in almost the same in attack this season.

 

[liamp]

He's never going to get that sharpness back, that's the thing. He's 36. Tore his ACL. This would've probably been his last season at this level without the ACL tear. With it, he's hopeless there.

I don't disagree. I was one of the ones arguing against re-signing him for this exact reason. But now that he's here, people have to be reasonable with the performances they can expect out of him.

 

[DRM]

Loved him last year but he's clearly not up to it this season. He shoudn't be starting any games for us, useful perhaps as a sub only.

 

[K2K]

Subbed for Lingard

Who is a much better player currently.

Zlatan is cool and all. But shouldn't be starting for us.

 

[Dobbs]

Scored 28 goals for us as a 35 year old who didn't play the entire year. Find me a current player who has any chance of doing that.

He's only played more games in one other season I think. So it was as full a year as any pro can expect with injuries etc. Him doing what he did whilst 35 doesn't get us additional points so ultimately who cares what age he was.

In anycase the desperation of Mourinho to get him in the team was sadly predictable. No problem with him being an option but jamming him in when there's no real position for him, when he's not fit, when He's no long term future here. What's the point?