David Beckham backs Zlatan Ibrahimovic to join MLS in the future
12 Apr 2018
Former LA Galaxy and Manchester United star David Beckham has backed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to pursue a move to Major League Soccer before calling quits on his professional career. The big Swede has endured a tough second season at United after failing to overcome a long-term knee injury, and reports have suggested that the 36-year-old could pursue a move to the Galaxy at the end of the season.
In an interview covered by Sky Sports, Beckham said that he would prefer the Swede making the switch to the United States after having won numerous honours during his 19-year career in Europe, he said: "He's one of the best players, one of the best people, and if he comes to this league at some point it would be great. But at the moment he's a Manchester United player and I'm happy about that, and I want him to stay there, but at some point, he might come here. Any mention of any great player like Zlatan coming to this league can only be good for the league."
The United faithful had hoped to see Ibrahimovic put in a similar showing from the previous campaign, where he scored the winning goals in the club's Community Shield and League Cup triumphs. However, he managed just two starts after his return from a nasty knee injury in November, before suffering a minor recurrence of the problem.
As a result, Jose Mourinho has decided to offer the Swede an additional rest midway through the season, but he is expected to return to first-team action before the end of February. Despite his absence, United have coped fairly well in the forward department this term with winter signing Romelu Lukaku bagging his 20th and 21st goals of the campaign against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round last weekend.