Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Former Manchester United player, has revealed what he told Jose Mourinho before leaving United.
Ibrahimovic arrived Old Trafford during the summer transfer window of 2016 after spending four successful seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, PSG.
Ibrahimovic scored a total of 28 goals in 46 appearances in his first season at United, helping the club win the EFL Cup and Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.
After suffering a serious injury towards the end of the season, Ibrahimovic was unable to rediscover his top form for the Red Devils before agreeing to leave the club in March 2018.
Zlatan and Mourinho
Ibrahimovic subsequently signed for LA Galaxy and has revealed what he told Mourinho before he bid farewell.
“This was a new challenge for me [the injury] and I said I would come back when I was ready and I would play exactly as I did before,” Ibrahimovic told BBC Sport.
“When I cannot do that I will not continue in football because I’m not here for charity. After my injury, when I was selected, I said to Jose Mourinho,
“I do not want to disappoint you or my team-mates. You had a Zlatan before the injury and you had one after the injury and I cannot give you the Zlatan that you are used to, that’s why I will not give you this Zlatan because I’m not ready.
“My second year at United, I was not feeling ready, I was feeling different, it was like I was starting at zero and I had to teach my knee how to play football again.
“After a while, my confidence grew, I needed a new environment to feel that I was comfortable.”