Skip to content

Mourinho: We expect this is Ibrahimovic's last season at United

OLI SCARFF / AFP / Getty

Jose Mourinho confessed on Friday that he expects this will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic's final season at Manchester United, supplementing reports that the striker is bound for Major League Soccer.

"We all think it is his last season at Manchester United," Mourinho said, according to NBC Sports' Joe Prince-Wright. "It will be a very personal decision about whether to play or to stop. He has won the right to choose his future, his life."

The sidelined Swede has been linked with a transfer to the LA Galaxy for some time, and a mid-February report claiming he was house-hunting in Los Angeles sparked excitement among MLS fans that he was finally U.S.-bound.

The 36-year-old further fed speculation in an interview in Stockholm this week, when he admitted the presence of fellow Swedish players in MLS adds to the appeal of moving stateside.

"I did not know that several Swedes went to MLS," Ibrahimovic said, as reported by The Telegraph's James Ducker. "That means it's tempting to play in the United States.

"Los Angeles is a nice city and I've been there a lot on vacation. It is laid back. I think it's rumours all the time (about my future). When I play and when I do not play it is rumours. That's good, that means I live."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Axel Sjoberg, a defender for the Colorado Rapids, is MLS' most seasoned Swedish player, while the versatile Gustav Svensson made a speedy impact for the Seattle Sounders last season. Sjoberg was recently joined in Commerce City by Johan Blomberg, and he's the most experienced member of a Swedish off-season influx featuring Anton Tinnerholm, Samuel Armenteros, Magnus Eriksson, and Joel Qviberg.

Ibrahimovic, a 116-time international for Sweden, hasn't played for United since Boxing Day after he was sent back to the treatment table. He previously endured a seven-month layoff with a cruciate knee ligament injury - a setback marking a sorry end to a debut season in English football which saw him fashion 17 goals in 28 league appearances.

It's believed the LA Galaxy have already been in contact with Ibrahimovic's agent, Mino Raiola. The MLS transfer window is open until May 1, but if Ibrahimovic is called into Jose Mourinho's squad again this season - he's expected to be in contention for Sevilla's visit on March 13 - it's more likely he'll complete an MLS switch during the league's mid-season window which runs from July 10 to Aug. 8.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox