All your Zlatan Ibrahimovic news

Rafael Benitez said that Steven Gerrard and Paul Pogba are not similar players, because in his (correct) opinion, Pogba needs to be consistent. That’s a fair appraisal of Pogba in that regard, but it also leaves out the facts that Gerrard is not as good at shooting, passing, controlling the ball or thinking on the football pitch. Gerrard was an excellent and influential footballer for Liverpool, but Pogba should be better than him over the long term, or he should consider his career something of a failure.

Mancheter United fans have praised Marcus Rashford for his part in Pogba’s goal against Newcastle United. It wasn’t just the sprint from deep, but his cushioned header, when a shot would have been a viable option, showed an impressive calmness at a moment of tension, and when energy levels would have been dropping. He is mint, basically.

Apparently, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s return from a serious injury to his knee is even more miraculous than his agent would have had us believe. The knee injury that he recovered from was actually more severe than we were told. Regardless, he appeared fully operational against Newcastle, and it’s not like the was much pace left for him to lose. Expect him to start in a dead rubber European match soon.

Ibrahimovic also said that he returned so strong, because, “Lions do not recover like humans.” He gets a lot of po-faced abuse for basically having a laugh, and it’s lovely to have him back talking total guff.

And the last of the Ibrahimovic news: he believes that his influence on the team means that he will be able to assist United in chasing down Manchester City, who are well ahead in the table. It is early yet, but City do look the most accomplished team by some distance. Oh, no!