Ibrahimovic likens himself to lion after Manchester United wins EFL Cup

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's cat-like instincts were on display in the final of the EFL Cup, as the Swedish striker gracefully pounced on a cross in the 87th minute to give Manchester United a 3-2 victory over Southampton.

Speaking after his match-winning performance, Ibrahimovic didn't downplay his animalistic tendencies, referring to himself as a "lion." The 35-year-old's winner marked his 26th goal for United in all competitions and his 217th goal across all competitions since 2011-12.

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"I'm an animal," Ibrahimovic said, according to the Guardian's Jamie Jackson. "I feel like a lion. I don't want to be a lion, I am a lion."

Asked whether he was talking about the hunger of a lion, Ibrahimovic replied: "The lion is born a lion - it means I'm a lion. I feel in good shape. I train hard. People who know me from the locker room know that I train very hard. I have an objective every season I go into. And to reach that objective I need to train hard and I need to suffer when I train; that is how I achieve what I achieve.

"I'm from the old school where they work hard and get what they get from doing the hard work, not like the new school where it is easy to get what you want."

When Ibrahimovic joined United, there were questions over how big an impact he could have on English football in his mid-30s. But, as he said on New Year's Day: "The older I get, the better I get, like red wine."