Bharath Rammr
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stated that he is yet to reach his goal target for the season. The Swedish striker came to the club on a free transfer in the summer and many doubted his ability to make a major impact at Manchester United considering the huge problems at the club. Further, Ibrahimovic did not seem to have age on his side at 35. The doubts did seem illogical considering that Ibrahimovic has been a huge success wherever he has been. Even though he may have spent only one season at Barcelona, he still managed to come in with 16 league goals in 29 appearances for the club.
Ibrahimovic managed to take his tally at United to 20 after scoring one of the goals in the 3-0 win over Leicester City during the weekend. The goal also brought him level with Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa in terms of the top goal scoring charts. Not many would have expected Ibrahimovic to be on fire even in February. Yet, the 35-year-old does not seem to be finished as he has stated that his targets for the season have not been achieved yet. Whilst not revealing a number, Ibrahimovic went on to state that he is happy to prove his doubters wrong.
He was quoted by The Sun as saying:
“I have a target in my head but I will not say it. I am not there yet. But I have set a target and that is something I have been doing every year.
“It is nothing new for me. I keep producing. I do my best and I get a lot of help from my team-mates.
“I know there were many people who said I wouldn’t even score 20 but that is nothing I focus on.”
Ibrahimovic has become the first player since Robin Van Persie to score 20 goals in a campaign. The Dutch striker managed to achieve this figure back in the 2013 season. The former striker was a major factor in the club’s league success in that campaign. Even though Ibrahimovic may not be able to secure title success for the club this season, reaching the top four and possibly winning a trophy in the form of the EFL Cup or the FA Cup would be a major success. Manchester United are also in contention for the Europa League, and winning this title will give them direct access to the Champions League – making the season still a great success.
The recent retirement from the international game would certainly help Ibrahimovic recover. At 35 years of age, even manager Jose Mourinho doubted the ability of the striker to play week in and week out. Yet, Ibrahimovic has barely missed a game due to injury. The Swede will have the opportunity to rest in March when the next international break comes up. For the time being, United have a huge run of games that would see them take on their opposition in four different competitions.
Manchester United’s first task will be to get three points against Watford following the Europa League game against St Etienne. This will be followed by a match in the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers before St Etienne are the opponents in the return leg of the Europa League.
