Ibrahimovic backs Mourinho but tightlipped on future
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Wednesday that Jose Mourinho would be the manager to bring the Premier League title back to Manchester United, but he declined to comment whether he had received an offer to play at the club next season.
"It's a great move. If you want action, you bring Mourinho. I believe he is the man to bring them back to the top," he told a news conference ahead of Monday's Sweden-Slovenia friendly.
Ibrahimovic said he had received offers from the Premier League, Italy and outside Europe but gave no more details. Media reports have linked him with a move to Manchester United because of his friendship with Mourinho.
"I had a fantastic time when I was working with him. If we work again, I don't know. Let's see how things work out," said Ibrahimovic, who spent a season alongside the Portuguese coach at Inter Milan.
"It's not a hard choice. I know what I want. The future is already written."
After a trophy-laden career with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho is set to replace Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who was sacked on Monday, with a remit to bring back the glory days the club once took for granted under Alex Ferguson.
Ibrahimovic is leaving Paris Saint Germain after four years during which he played an integral part in turning the club into a force to be reckoned with on the European stage.
When asked how he would cope physically in the Premier League at the age of 34, he said; "I am just warming up ... The age is just a number. Everything is in your head."
(Reporting by Haidar Hajdari and Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Jon Boyle)