Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a Sign Jose Mourinho is Right for Manchester United

With Louis van Gaal finally gone at Manchester United and Jose Mourinho expected to succeed him within days, there’s a fear among some that the appointing of the Special One could mean the end of a few promising young careers. Mourinho likes to buy big, established players, the thinking goes, and doesn’t have the reputation for the patience required to shepherd in youth.

That fear may appear at first to be confirmed by the rumor that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is heading for Old Trafford, but bringing in the Swede should give heart to Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. Ibrahimovic is the sort of short-term transition quality that United need right now.

Run your mind back to the beginning of the season when Anthony Martial was brought to Manchester. The general thinking was that Martial was too young, that he ought to be used sparingly and slowly brought up to speed. Though the season required otherwise and Martial proved up to the task, the point was not a foolish one. Putting so much pressure on teenagers is not usually very productive. Taking a 19- and 18-year-old in Martial and Rashford and making them the core of the attacking threat likely leads a team to the sort of goals total that the United fans have bemoaned all season.

Ibrahimovic solves all that. He’s a proven goal-scorer all over Europe. Putting him at the front of the offense gives United a brazen, seasoned forward who just finished scoring fifty goals for Paris Saint-Germain this season. True, the French Ligue 1 is not the Premier League, but even if he only brings in a quarter of that total, it is a massive weight off young shoulders, allowing the future of United to have off-games, rest, and a little relief from the constant demands of first-choice attackers.

And best of all, Ibrahimovic is old. At 34, he’s likely to only see another season or two at the top level. He’s no long-term threat to anyone. Even if he were younger, he’s notorious for lasting little more than two years at most clubs. His presence on the pitch can be one of mentorship, showing what it takes to remain at the top level for so long. And then, by the time the ideal United upfront pair are ready to take over full responsibility, he’ll be off to play in MLS or China.

It’s the sort of signing United fans should be ecstatic about. It suggests Mourinho will still have a place for young players (at least those who have already made a mark), while not demanding as much from them as van Gaal. Indeed, such a clever transfer is the sort of thing one might previously have expected from the Dutchman before his reputation was tarnished over the last season.

Mourinho may yet spoil the best hopes of United fans, and he may live up to his worst reputation by benching, loaning out or even selling some of the young talent. But this first transfer suggests Mourinho might actually get it, and United can hope for better days ahead.