“That wasn’t them last season, they were too slow. Le Tiss and I have played No 10, and you need pace up front [in front of you], and if you haven’t got pace, it’s pointless playing a No 10, because there’s not a lot you can do."
Ibrahimovic is still recovering from a serious knee injury, which cut short a superb debut season at Old Trafford in April.
The 35-year-old has posted regular, positive bulletins on his progress, and United have seen enough to sign him up until the end of the season.
But Merson also suggested that Ibrahimovic’s return in the winter could have an adverse impact on Lukaku, who has hit the ground running at Old Trafford. Merson fears the Belgium international could “go into his shell” if he suffers a slight dip in form and is replaced by Ibrahimovic.
“Lukaku is top man now, you can see it on the pitch. That’s going to change! He’s got a big presence, Ibrahimovic, and he hasn’t gone to United to sit on the bench.
“If Lukaku goes a couple games without scoring, the fans will be cheering Zlatan’s name, and Lukaku could go into his shell, and we saw that last season in big football matches for Everton, he went into his shell.”
- Man Utd better without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Merson says on The Debate, SkySports.com, August 27, 2017.
About the author:
Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.
【Back into your shell?】相关文章:
★ 英语绕口令B
最新
2020-09-15
2020-08-28
2020-08-21
2020-08-19
2020-08-14
2020-08-12