Manchester United have announced that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a new one-year deal at the club and will wear the No. 10 shirt vacated by Wayne Rooney.
Ibrahimović made 46 appearances and scored 28 goals last season before his campaign was ended prematurely by a knee injury.
After a summer of rehabilitation, the Swede has returned sooner than expected and some reports suggest he will be playing again by the end of October.
Jose Mourinho said: “We are delighted Zlatan is on the road to recovery and we are equally delighted to have his ambition and experience back with us. After his contribution last season he deserves our trust and we will be patient waiting for him to return. I have no doubt that he will be important in the second part of the season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said: “I am back to finish what I started. It was always mine and the club’s intention for me to stay. I cannot wait to get back out on that Old Trafford pitch, but I also know that I have to take my time to make sure that I am ready. I have been working hard and will continue to do so to make sure I am in the best possible condition for my return to the pitch.”
Ibrahimovic damaged knee ligaments in April during the Europa League quarter-final tie against Anderlecht and underwent surgery soon after.
United offered him the use of their Carrington facilities to carry out his rehabilitation and Mourinho kept a keen eye on the player’s recovery, admitting a new deal could be on the cards last month.
On Sunday Ibrahimovic posted a video on Twitter challenging his followers to guess which knee he had damaged as he showed off his taekwondo moves – the Swede is a black belt in the martial art – on a punch bag.
It was originally uncertain whether Ibrahimovic would play again in 2017 but the footage suggested the striker was well ahead of schedule in his recovery.
The Los Angeles Galaxy had long been linked with a move for the former Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward.
However, Ibrahimovic will return to United, for whom Romelu Lukaku has made an impressive start to the campaign with three Premier League goals following his £75million summer move from Everton.
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