Ibrahimovic shines in new role, scoring against Man Utd

ZLATAN Ibrahimovic

ZLATAN Ibrahimovic has declared he is very happy at Paris Saint-Germain, but added that his next move will be a “very big surprise”.

“Where I go next, it will be a surprise, a very big surprise,” he said after PSG beat Manchester United in the International Champions Cup.

The Swede has a year to go on his contract and is likely to leave then, but for now, he says:

“I’m very happy at PSG. You don’t see that on the field?

“I have another year on my contract with PSG and I am very happy.

“Things are getting better. We are a strong team, we can do much more than we have been doing so at the moment but I am very happy.”

Indeed, he is happy, and playing a dominant role in pre-season.

A brief look of the highlights and you could be mistaken for thinking Zlatan’s goal against United was just any old tap in.

But perhaps it’s worth a second look, because it shows how the big Swedish striker is relishing his role as a ‘false No.9’ and why it causes opposition defences so many problems.

Dropping back into midfield to pick up possession, Ibrahimovic’s goal was a perfect example of how difficult it can be to contain the 33-year-old.

Once in possession he turned and drove forward, cruising as United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger struggled to keep up. Ibra then charged behind the ball-watching Phil Jones to tap home Maxwell’s cross after it was he who played in the overlapping fullback.

And it wasn’t an isolated incident. Paris Saint-Germain’s first goal had come when Ibra dropped into midfield, drawing forward Jones and leaving space for the midfield run of Blaise Matuidi.

For much of his 69 minute spell on the field in Chicago, PSG’s superstar striker drifted where he wanted, when he wanted – he is Zlatan, after all – at times dropping deeper than the midfield trio of Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Benjamin Stambouli to start the play from the back.

And with such a dominant display against the Premier League giants, who have been sniffing about for a striker, Ibrahimovic will again be a handful for whatever opposition he comes across.

FOX SPORTS