Abhranil Roy
The internet is awash with the news of Zlatan Inhrahimovic joining Manchester United, and the Twitterati is providing news at an almost hourly basis about the situation, while Sky Sports News have officially declared it as a done deal. Most United fans have welcomed the news, and have even gone on to ask the club to hand him a two or three year contract, instead of the reported value of one. While there are obviously some benefits of the Swede joining us, here are a few possible downsides too, that most people are seemingly oblivious to:
1. His age-
At 34 years of age, Zlatan is still a super athlete, as he demonstrated in the last season with Paris St. Germain. However, this is England, somewhere that he has never played before and in a league whose quality, competitiveness and physicality is much higher than any other league he has ever played in. Whether the superstar can deal with that at such an advanced age or will he do a Falcao, is one of the biggest questions that apparently no one is taking into consideration.
2. His attitude-
Zlatan’s attitude is something that reflects on every sphere of his life, and while it makes him do unbelievable stuff on the football pitch, it is also something for which he receives a lot of criticism. Jose Mourinho is a complete team man, and values his squad over any individual star, and the Swede’s combustible attitude could easily cause a lot of friction between the two, which could in turn harm the club.
3. A possible negative effect on the team-
The team, and especially United’s young academy graduates like Ashley Fletcher, James Wilson, Fosu Mensah, Jesse Lingars and co. will look upto Zlatan as a role model given his aura and fame. However, the former Ajax striker’s huge ego could have a negative effect on the squad, and especially for the youngsters who are easily impressable. Ibrahimovic is the kind of player, who at times, considers himself even bigger than the club, and thoughts like that could do a lot of harm at all levels, both administrative and on the field of play, of the Old Trafford outfit.
