Van der Hoorn: Swansea must stop Zlatan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be going through something of a goal drought at present but Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn won’t be underestimating the mercurial Swede.

After starting his Manchester United career with a bang – scoring five goals in his first five games – Ibrahimovic has scored just once in the past 11.

He is also without a goal in the previous six matches, a run he will be looking to put to bed against the Swans on Sunday afternoon.

The striker’s recent struggles could have Swansea resting on their laurels, but van der Hoorn is adamant that is not the case.

Photo credit: Getty Images

The 24-year-old Dutch centre-back has first-hand experience of dealing with Ibrahimovic from his days at the heart of the Ajax defence, and believes stopping the 35-year-old is the key to getting a result at the Liberty Stadium.

“I have played against him before – he scored to put PSG ahead with a goal from nowhere,” said van der Hoorn. “He has that rare quality of scoring when you least expect it.

“People can be fooled into thinking that he is having a quiet game and then he creates a moment of genius and scores.

“Manchester United have many, many good players but he is one we must do our best to keep quiet on Sunday.”