Zlatan will bounce back from knee injury, says United boss Mourinho

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will fight his way back from the serious knee injury he suffered against Anderlecht last week, according to Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

The Swedish frontman, who has bagged 28 goals in 46 matches in all competitions this season, damaged his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against the Belgian side in United’s Europa League quarter-final win.

Ibrahimovic, 35, has been ruled out until January, and faces surgery before the long road to recovery.

But his return is not in question, according to Mourinho, who said that the drive to bounce back from injury is testament to the strong character of the Swede.

Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“The future is a big surgery and a long period of recovering,” said Mourinho. “But the future is also in the hands of a very strong guy, mentally very strong, who wrote immediately on social media that he will stop [playing] when he wants, not when people think.

“It looks for me that he’s not going to give up and he’s going to fight. I’m really pleased with that because this is the Zlatan I know.

“He fought all his life and that’s what I told him – ‘you have fought all your life since you were born.’ I don’t see a reason not to fight.

“We think he is in fabulous hands and [he needs to] recover from the injury and prepare himself mentally for the next step.

“I think the next step will always be something that he really wants, which is something I was saying before the injury in the period of doubt about his future; I have always said that.”