What impact will Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision to stay have on Manchester United next season?

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The Manchester Evening News revealed today that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in talks with Manchester United about signing for another year with the Old Trafford outfit.

Having arrived in the summer, signing a one-year contract, it looks as though the 35-year-old could be playing in the Premier League for one more year, despite interest from clubs in China, America, and Italy.

Ibrahimovic has enjoyed a fantastic start to life with the Red Devils, managing to score 25 goals in 43 competitive appearances this season. This includes 15 goals in the Premier league – very impressive for a man aged 35, who had many doubters prior to his England move.

But what does this latest news mean for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United?

Ibrahimovic is a goal scorer, that cannot be denied. However, fans of the Manchester club have been frustrated a number of times this season by ‘smaller’ teams coming to Old Trafford and grabbing a point, or even three. Often Ibrahimovic and his teammates have been unable to finish off the countless chances that have been crafted throughout the game.

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It is unfair to put this solely on Ibrahimovic, but he has been seen him struggle to beat the keeper at times this season, whether it be a one-on-one, a header, volley; sometimes he does everything but put the ball in the back of the net. As the first-choice striker, it is down him to score these chances.

Jose Mourinho does have limited options up front, but at the same time, he has, in Marcus Rashford, England’s biggest striking talent, and possibly the country’s brightest talent across the entire squad. He burst onto the scene last season, unable to stop scoring. However, since Ibrahimovic has been brought in, the United youngster has often had to wait until cup games or a substitute appearance to make an impact.

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Then there is Anthony Martial, who had to give up the much sought-after number nine shirt when Ibrahimovic arrived at the club. Although the Frenchman often plays on the wing for the Red Devils, he can play up front, like he did at Monaco, and if Manchester United are to get the most of the Frenchman, then he may need to take the place of the Swede in that much-coveted centre-forward position.

It will be interesting to see how contract talks develop between Manchester United and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and going into next season, it will be even more interesting to see how Jose Mourinho deploys the ageing striker, who, despite scoring goals, is perhaps stunting the growth of some of United’s biggest talents in Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Harriet Lander.