Ibrahimovic out to copy Juventus mentors
The 34-year-old is one of the most experienced players around at United following his arrival after four years at Paris Saint-Germain. And he is keen to help players such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Memphis Depay harness their potential.
Published : Aug 20, 2016 20:44 IST
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to mentor Manchester United's promising youngsters in the same way Juventus' high-profile names took him under its wings when he arrived at the Serie A side in 2004.
The 34-year-old is one of the most experienced players around at United following his arrival after four years at Paris Saint-Germain. And he is keen to help players such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Memphis Depay harness their potential.
"I played with many big stars. When I came to Juventus I was a young guy. I had [Patrick] Vieira, [Fabio] Cannavaro, [Lilian] Thuram, [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Alessandro] Del Piero, [David] Trezeguet, [Pavel] Nedved, [Mauro] Camoranesi, Emerson. It was a monster team, there were so many," Ibrahimovic told United's official website.
"The mentality came from that. The more mature you become - I have two kids now - you take on more responsibility. "I have my responsibility. The coach gives me a lot of responsibility and I take it. I am just myself. I am trying to help all the other ones.
"The picture for me, outside of the pitch and in the media, is that people judge me before they know me. They write, but that doesn't bother me. It goes in one ear and goes out the other one.
"It is important what the guys [at United] think about me, that is the most important thing. If I can help then I will help, and I can help even more." Ibrahimovic has made a superb start to his United career, scoring four goals in three games in all competitions.