Returning Ibrahimovic: 'Lions don't recover like humans'
A knee ligament injury might have ruled out an ordinary man for more than seven months ... but Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no ordinary man.
The Swedish striker made his return to the field on Saturday in Manchester United's 4-1 win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford, recovering from knee ligament tears sustained in April that had him initially sidelined through the rest of 2017.
While his surprise comeback was greeted jubilantly by the Red Devils faithful, the 36-year-old striker has a typically unique explanation for his early recovery.
When asked if he ever doubted he would return, Zlatan offered, as quoted by PA Sport: "No, because lions, they don't recover like humans."
He added: "It's special. Different day, same quality. I am not worried. I am not worried at all because I know what I do. I train hard. I sacrificed a lot.
"It is not easy, especially in my case. It was not like I went on vacation. I had a different summer because I was without a contract. As soon as I signed, I wanted to focus on the team. I wanted to give something to help the team as best as possible.
"It's about coming back and making a statement. I'm just thankful I can play football again."