Zlatan Ibrahimovic has said that Manchester United must move beyond Sir Alex Ferguson and create an identity of its own.
Manchester United have struggled ever since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. The club witnessed rare highs in the six years since his retirement but failed to re-establish itself as a dominant force in the Premier League.
In the five seasons since Sir Alex’s departure, United have finished inside the top four on only two occasions.
Even when the side won the Europa League in 2016, it failed to pose significant competition in the Champions League. This season, Manchester United’s performances improved after the arrival of former club star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
One of the major examples of the side’s ‘rejuvenation’ was their win over PSG in the round-of-16 of the European premier tournament.
Emphasizing on the club’s failure to maintain Sir Alex’s legacy, former club footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has stated that Manchester United needs to create a new identity.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sir Alex Ferguson:
The former Swedish international stated that the club has identified Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy as a benchmark for future successes, which has created significant problems.
“Everything that happens is judged by the era of Ferguson,” Ibrahimovic began.
“They are saying if Ferguson was here, this would not happen, Ferguson would not do it like that. Ferguson would do it like this. Everything was Ferguson.”
The former Manchester United striker, who played a crucial role in the side’s successful EFL Cup and Europa League campaigns in 2016/17, stated that the club needs to rediscover itself.
“If it was me, I would say I don’t have Ferguson anymore. And I come here and I want to make my own history, I want to make my own story.
“So I do not want to hear what happened before. I want to do it in the present. You come in with a new mentality.
“Ferguson has his place in history at this club but now the club continues. It has to find its own identity and it is difficult.”
How Twitter reacted..
Zlatan: “Everything that happens is judged in relation to the Ferguson era, they say that if Ferguson were there, it would not happen, Ferguson would not do this, he would do that. I would say he’s gone, and I’m coming here to write my own story. ” #MUFC pic.twitter.com/gijwzSBjmA
— Enock Kobina Essel (@kobinaessel39) March 18, 2019
Zlatan Ibrahimovic:
“Class of 92? They are on TV complaining all the time because they’re not active in the club. If you want to work in the club, go search for work in the club. So you can’t be on TV always complaining and criticising. You had your time, we know it.”
— UnitedReview (@TheUtdReview) March 18, 2019
Zlatan on Premier League :”It was very hyped, it was very intense, the pace was very high, it was good but the quality is a bit over-rated. Over-rated from a technical point of view. But it is high pace and intense and if you cannot handle those two things, you cannot survive. pic.twitter.com/AdvMhvjYHc
— Enock Kobina Essel (@kobinaessel39) March 19, 2019
What next?
Manchester United will return to action on March 30 as they take on Watford in the Premier League.
