Mourinho expects Ibrahimovic to leave United at the end of the season

You’ve probably been expecting it. We certainly have. And it turns out Jose Mourinho is thinking the same way: he reckons that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be off at the end of the season.

Speaking at his pre-game press conference today, Mourinho told the press that when it comes to Ibrahimovic’s future:

we all think it’s his last season at Manchester United and it will be a very personal decision for him to play or to stop. I think he has won the right of choosing his life, his future, such an amazing player and amazing career that only that awful injury in the wrong moment broke a fantastic couple of seasons he could and should have with us.

As for a return to the United first team, Mourinho was non-committal:

He’s not injured. Does he feel totally happy, ready and convinced that he’s in conditions to help the team in this moment? No, but he’s such an honest guy and such a champion he only wants to be back with that feeling of I’m totally ready for it. So he’s working hard and hopefully his evolution brings him to that level he wants to have a positive answer.

No idea what lions evolve into. Bigger lions? Anyway, it’ll be a shame if he doesn’t get back for at least a farewell appearance. He may not have been at his peak while at United, but he’s been great fun, and scored some important goals in Mourinho’s first season.

In other injury news, Marouane Fellaini will return in a couple of weeks for “the last couple of months of our Premier League fight”. Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, and Daley Blind are also still out, so the first-team squad remains the same.