What is Manchester United’s plan if Zlatan gets injured?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a revelation nobody dared hope for since joining Manchester United.
He’s played every minute of the 19 games he’s started, and despite being 35 years old, he’s scored 13 goals in the league alone, assisted a further 3, and plans to increase that number. He’s been a one man goal machine for the club since he arrived, but what happens if he gets injured?
His ambition and drive have surely played a part in the club’s ascension up the points tally, and helped reinstate United’s winning mentality, but he is 35 years old, and despite what many may say, he is still only human. While he’s an incredible physical specimen with a fitness routine that would make an MMA fighter quiver, United must prepare for the possibility that he may not be able to play a stretch of games. What then?
Saturday’s game against Reading provides the perfect opportunity for coach Jose Mourinho to rotate his squad, and give some sorely needed minutes on the pitch to one of the club’s other forgotten strikers. Like some feared, local boy Marcus Rashford, who was a bright spark in an otherwise dismal last season, has slipped to the sidelines and been relegated to cameos of his previous contributions.
Anthony Martial, purchased for the sum of $54.5 million two summers ago (a figure which could increase) as a striker, has played almost exclusively on the wing, but proved the other week that he’s still good for goals. Even the long lost Memphis Depa
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y has a history of playing up top. And please tell me Rooney isn’t plan B.
It’s understandable that none of these players have been starting over Zlatan. He’s one of the sport’s best athletes, and Mourinho’s biggest presence out on the pitch. He’s quickly become a fan favorite, and it’s no wonder given his incredible form at the moment. (Lest we forget his wonder strike to open his United account, in his first game for the club no less) His chemistry with Paul Pogba is improving too, with the duo combining for three goals.
Nobody would want to bench The Big Swede to see his form take a knock — whether through the break in rhythm or sulking afterward — but doing so for domestic cups would surely give him a break, allowing him to rest up for the remainder of a gruelling Premier League season he’s never before experienced. It would also allow other players to get some time.
At this point in his development, Rashford needs to be playing regular football, and Mourinho’s made it clear he’s not going on loan, but 15 minutes at the end of games may not be enough for him. And this is without saying how frustrated Martial is rumoured to be getting at his relegation to the bench. It can’t have been fun watching Ibra come in and take his number, either.
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There are talks of United trying to lure Athletico Madrid starlet, Antoine Griezmann, to Old Trafford, which would only bump the two further down the pecking order, as Griezmann would have to start in the first XI to even consider making the move.
But assuming they can’t nab him from Spain, the club needs to show it has a viable, effective backup plan in the case of big Zlats picking up a knock — something which needs to be taken seriously, given the physical style he’s known for.