At least with Mourinho and Zlatan we'd be interesting again. United are synonymous with boredom at the moment.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic |United Player | See the thread in the United Forum
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Could be legs in the rumour that he wants to join Becks franchise when it starts, and needs a 1 year stopgap we're happy to provide.
This signing would be an absolute no brainer.
Bring a bit of glamour back to United. Our current line up is about as awesome inspiring as Everton's.
I fully expect him to come to the PL for at least a year. Not saying it will be to us, but with get Mourinho (please, ffs) then I would make us favourites.
I can think of worse ideas than a summer of Zlatan, a speedy RW (let's say Mahrez) and a decent CM in. We'd have some good options:
---------Zlatan------
Martial---Mata---Mahrez
--Herrera-Schneiderlin-
or
---------Zlatan------
Martial-------Mahrez
---Herrera--CM------
------Schneiderlin--
being the main 2.
And Memphis can be the primary attacking option off the bench, getting lots of starts in rotations and rest (like Cavani) or if the light suddenly turns on we could play a bit more of a 4-4-2 with Zlatan and Martial as a smarts and speed front 2 at times when we wanted to attack. It sounds defensively awful but Mata isn't giving us a ton more than Zlatan would as a 10 anyways.
That said, if I was him I'd probably just go to Arsenal since he'd get all the credit for giving them a winner's mentality if they won anything and Sanchez and Ozil are in their prime, unlike our attackers. Ibra can do all the technical strongman stuff Giroud does but with extra creativity and he'd also score 20 more goals over the year.
---------Zlatan------
Martial---Mata---Mahrez
--Herrera-Schneiderlin-
or
---------Zlatan------
Martial-------Mahrez
---Herrera--CM------
------Schneiderlin--
being the main 2.
And Memphis can be the primary attacking option off the bench, getting lots of starts in rotations and rest (like Cavani) or if the light suddenly turns on we could play a bit more of a 4-4-2 with Zlatan and Martial as a smarts and speed front 2 at times when we wanted to attack. It sounds defensively awful but Mata isn't giving us a ton more than Zlatan would as a 10 anyways.
That said, if I was him I'd probably just go to Arsenal since he'd get all the credit for giving them a winner's mentality if they won anything and Sanchez and Ozil are in their prime, unlike our attackers. Ibra can do all the technical strongman stuff Giroud does but with extra creativity and he'd also score 20 more goals over the year.
Signing him on a free for a year would make too much sense. Rotate him and Rooney up front, get in a top RW and our attack is looking intriguing and deep again. Go after Kane or another long term option in 2017
You don't really know how it would go. He could compliment his game and take him to another level for all we know, sometimes a player needs a bar to hit and Ibra at #9 could be that. That wasn't my original point though, it was in reply that just Ibra and some young players as the forward line for next season has the potential to be absolutely disasterous.
Yeah we could just get anyone we want, hypothetically. However the reply to the original point is there would be no harm in having Rooney and Ibrahimovic in the same squad.
Rooney's level is rock bottom at this point and Ibra likes to have room to drop deep, no #10 or SS playing in his space, not to mention we'd be painfully slow with the two of them central, you need Ibra to have midfield quality behind him and pace either side, Rooney offers nothing that suits Ibra's game which is not going to change at 35 to accommodate a has-been Rooney..
So you either rotate them, or you don't sign him. Not rocket science at all there.
I agree. Even I like 4231 formation, I think we should play 433. I think it could bring the best of Herrera and we would be more balanced. In addition, Martial and Memphis would play as wide forwards where they can improve their game and score more goals having a striker like Ibrahimovic.
If we sign a player like Dybala, Griezmann, Mahrez or Sane to play in a front of 3 with Martial/Memphis and Ibrahimovic. It sounds potentially good and effective.
They aren't the type of players that will accept being a backup, so you sign Ibra who's a much better player and sell the past it striker.
A good manager (Mourinho) should be able to keep both players motivated, I'll go back to the point I made earlier, seems a pretty big roll of the dice to bring Ibra in on his own and make him the main player. You'd be much better off making a rod for his back in case he faceplants and we're up shit creek without a paddle again. Like we had to go through at the start of the year playing LVG's rubbish system.
No manager would be able to convince egos like Rooney and Ibra to bench warm and that is what would happen to Rooney when Ibra got started. There's no reason to suspect one of the most consistent strikers of the last 15 years will somehow suddenly deliver less than a legless Rooney. At this point Rooney offers next to nothing and is in the way of Martial who can be groomed under Ibra while also starting on the left. In a one striker system teams carry 2 strikers, in our case that would be Ibra and Martial with Rashford as the 3rd choice, we don't need the Rooney albatross around the teams neck any longer.
Who knows what the next manager has up his sleeve. You seem pretty hell bent on Ibra solving all of our problems in one fell swoop, so good luck with that one. If it happens then all power to the club.
Both would work but i'd prefer what @Devil may care suggests. In the case that we'd play both Zlatan and Rooney; the latter would have to be told to stick up front and not wander about. Play Zlatan as SS with 2 more defensive CM's. Now then we'd be back to a more conventional 4-4-2.
Ideally; Rooney accepts being backup (ye, good luck with that) or we sell him and play 4-3-3 with Zlatan as the main man. He would need runners around him so playing Martial/Depay on the left, NEW on the right, plus 2 athletic and technical CM's that makes late runs in to the box. Overlapping fullbacks and that's the complete package for me.
Ideally; Rooney accepts being backup (ye, good luck with that) or we sell him and play 4-3-3 with Zlatan as the main man. He would need runners around him so playing Martial/Depay on the left, NEW on the right, plus 2 athletic and technical CM's that makes late runs in to the box. Overlapping fullbacks and that's the complete package for me.
Depends what you mean by "backup". I can see him taking a reduced role providing that he feels that is what is around him is quality. But I can also see him wanting to play with someone like Ibra if he comes in so that is a different way of looking at it all together. It could be a decent motivational tool. But I like you would rather we go back to 4-3-3 anyway and play with two box to box #8's and a deep lying #6 anyway whatever happens.
By backup i mean accepting that Zlatan plays most games and he plays the lesser games and when Zlatan has niggles. 4-3-3 all the way baby.
Amen.
I would take him, only Suarez, Lewandowski & Aguero are better No9 then him
Looks like caf can have a new poll on whether we should go for Ibra.
1. No way (He is too old)
2. No way (He won't add anything to the team)
3. Yes, please!!
1. No way (He is too old)
2. No way (He won't add anything to the team)
3. Yes, please!!
I'd take him only on the condition that Rooney leaves. Otherwise, we'd have two oldish super stars on huge wages who stand in the way of perspective young forwards. It would be another step in the wrong direction.
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It only makes sense if Rooney goes as has been said above. But getting Ibra on a free would be a very good deal as long as it's a short contract. He could well give us an Rvp type season before naturally deciding and leaving. He's genuinely still performing excellently as opposed to looking like falling apart anytime soon. Him, Martial and Wilson/Rashford would be a very good strike force.
The only worry is that he starts decliding too soon which wouldn't be the case if we signed someone like Kane. But on a free, go for it.
The only worry is that he starts decliding too soon which wouldn't be the case if we signed someone like Kane. But on a free, go for it.
We're most likely going to miss out on top 4. Can see him preferring Arsenal should they finally want a top striker. Ozil, Sanchez and Ibra 
Wenger's ego wont allow him to pay a 35 yr old guy 300k pw..We're most likely going to miss out on top 4. Can see him preferring Arsenal should they finally want a top striker. Ozil, Sanchez and Ibra
Besides if he wants to play in purely CL team, perfectly suited for him, he should stay at PSG
Signing Ibra on a free for a minimum of a year is pretty much the most risk-free bit of business we can do in the summer.
But this is all assuming he wants to join us, a team that likely won't be playing in the CL next season.
But this is all assuming he wants to join us, a team that likely won't be playing in the CL next season.
fecking hell, since his move to Ajax in 2001, he's won the domestic league in every season bar 02/03 and 11/12 (AC finished 4 points behind an unbeaten Juve). Incredible.
I think he wants to join the EPL.
He was available for a press conference in London this weekend. Generally, he hates that.
It is no accident as he is in campaign for a new challenge I guess.
He was available for a press conference in London this weekend. Generally, he hates that.
It is no accident as he is in campaign for a new challenge I guess.
Give this man a rolling one year contract that extends if he manages to play 20+ games per season. Even if he is "old" for a footballer he is doing better than most other strikers in the world and would certainly be an upgrade over Rooney.
He was on BT the other week and said he wants to manage in the PL next
Edit - thought this was rafa benitez thread and then read @NoLogo comment about him playing 20 games and replacing Rooney and realised we aren't talking about rafa
This, and you would have to be the most miserable of all miserable sods to not want Zlatan Ibrahimovic to play for your team.
This is a transfer saga that could last until June.
This is a transfer saga that could last until June.
To the Zlatan thread!
Thing is - Ibrahimović will definitely not join on a 1 year deal, it's just not happening anywhere outside of la la land. He would have nothing to gain from the deal while he helps resurrect United, and ideally players need a safety blanket which that contract won't provide, especially someone who will likely be in high demand once his contract expires. You don't approach footballers of that caliber with ludicrous rolling and performance-related deals (especially when the club's negotiation power is diminished in the face of underperformance) - just like the calls for offering Mourinho a temp. job till the summer before handing the reigns to Guardiola were out of the realms of possibility. You have to be careful, especially a temperamental character like Zlatan, who might get offended, and up and walk away from the negotiations entirely.
A 3 year contract might be the bare minimum, and the most realistic option. He might naturally decline further in a couple season, but by then United would have eaten most of his contract to extract the last bit of top, top quality out of him. Sort out a #9 replacement for him by 2018, or sign a left attacking midfielder and push Martial up top. Easy peasy - signing him would provide us some wiggle room while Martial develops further. He's tailor made for our current striker conundrum - experienced, productive - still, physically imposing, larger than life. We sorely miss someone with not just the quality he offers, but the personality to go with it - especially when you add that to Mourinho in the stands. Get 'em both in, and that should atleast add a bit of spark and competitive fire to a sagging team.
A 3 year contract might be the bare minimum, and the most realistic option. He might naturally decline further in a couple season, but by then United would have eaten most of his contract to extract the last bit of top, top quality out of him. Sort out a #9 replacement for him by 2018, or sign a left attacking midfielder and push Martial up top. Easy peasy - signing him would provide us some wiggle room while Martial develops further. He's tailor made for our current striker conundrum - experienced, productive - still, physically imposing, larger than life. We sorely miss someone with not just the quality he offers, but the personality to go with it - especially when you add that to Mourinho in the stands. Get 'em both in, and that should atleast add a bit of spark and competitive fire to a sagging team.
We'd give him a 2 year deal I imagine.
I thought he only wanted a year because he plans to go to Becks Miami franchise at the start of 2018.
Would a hyper-competitive footballer like Zlatan want to move there when he could still compete at the elite European level though? Also, the Miami MLS team is still in a proposition stage - Becks is a long way removed from fully establishing the team, and with things constantly in flux, would Ibrahimović risk a hypothetical one year deal at United - to further sit out a few months, maybe even wait a few more while the logistics of the team are sorted.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article59434652.html#storylink=cpy
I see, I thought the Miami team was more concretely set up than that, and Ibra had bought a place in Miami in readiness. I actually doubt Ibra would worry about a safety net, his ego would mean he'd be confident that he'd have plenty of offers in a year if the Miami thing isn't ready. At most I think we'd give him a 2 year deal, he's too old to be offered longer IMO, especially on the wages he's on.
Yep, an amicable 2 year deal might just be the best for everyone concerned. Though Raiola might be inclined to leverage a third season because everyone knows that United have money to burn, and this might be his last massive paycheck given that he currently earns a (base salary + incentives total) of ~$36.4 million, whereas the highest paid MLS player - Kaká earns about ~$27.6 million in terms of total wages (inc. winning bonuses and incentives). The likes of Gerrard and Lampard earn about ~$6 million in terms of base salary.
http://www.spotrac.com/mls/rankings/earnings/
Would Ibra allow him to jeopardize something he wanted just to leverage more money though? He's one player who I imagine the agent works for rather than being the agents puppet like most are. I guess an option could be 2 years with a 3rd year option clause.
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