Man Utd agree to Zlatan Ibhrahimovic early exit

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Manchester United have confirmed that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will leave the club with immediate effect. 

United have revealed via their official website that both he and the club have agreed to terminate the forward’s contract early. His original deal was set to expire June 30th. NaijaBet.com

The United statement read as follows:

“Manchester United confirms that it has agreed to the termination of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract with immediate effect.

“Everyone at the club would like to thank Zlatan for his contribution to the team since his arrival and wishes him well for the future.”

It is believed that Ibrahimovic will make the move to the US within the next week or so, with LA Galaxy his likely destination.

If true, Ibrahimovic will be following in the footsteps of fellow Premier League and football icons David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Ashley Cole. NaijaBet.com

The 36-year-old has played his last game in the Premier League but leaves behind both a successful and frustrating stint in England.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Man Utd career by numbers

Ibrahimovic joined Manchester United from oil-rich French side Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Although everyone knew of the forward’s qualities (none more so than himself), no-one expected him to have quite the effect in his first season in England as he did. NaijaBet.com

Life in Manchester got off to a typically ‘Zlatan’ start, with the striker scoring in the 83rd minute of the Community Shield match at Wembley to secure United a 2-1 victory over then-Premier League winners Leicester City.

One match and one trophy later, Ibrahimovic’s start in England only further excelled with a long-range strike away to Bournemouth on the opening day of the 16/17 season to help United claim a 3-1 victory, followed by scoring both goals on his home debut in a 2-0 win over Southampton.

His Premier League form continued to impress and records kept being created. On November 6th, United beat Swansea City away 3-1 with Ibrahimovic scoring the first. That goal was confirmed as the 25,000th goal in Premier League history.

On February 5th, Ibrahimovic scored his 15th Premier League goal of the season in a 3-0 victory away to reigning Premier League champions Leicester City, making him the oldest player to reach 15 goals in a season at the age of 35 years and 125 days. NaijaBet.com

On April 13th, the forward was included in the six-player shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year. However, just a week later he suffered serious ligament damage in his right knee in a Europa League match, ending his involvement in the season, and in hindsight, his career at Manchester United.

Overall in the Premier League, Zlatan scored 17 goals in 28 appearances for the Red Devils, confirming his place as United’s top scorer for that season and as the seventh highest goalscorer in the Premier League overall. There is no doubt that if he had not been seriously injured in April, he would have gone on to score a few more to increase his standing in the overall scoring charts. NaijaBet.com

He averaged a goal every 143 minutes, smashing the expected ‘goal every two games’ average expected from top frontmen.

He also supplied five assists for his teammates while ensuring over half of his shots (55%) were on target. 13 of his league goals were scored from in the box, with the other four from outside the area.

However, the Community Shield wasn’t the only trophy United and Zlatan got their hands on last season. NaijaBet.com

United ran out 3-2 winners over Southampton in the EFL Cup final at Wembley on February 26th, with Zlatan scoring two goals (including the winner in the 87th minute) to seal United’s second title of the season. The Swede scored 4 in 5 games in total in the EFL Cup.

To complete their ‘treble’ of title victories, United beat Dutch side Ajax 2-0 in the Europa League final in May to ensure three trophies for the season alongside qualification to the following season’s Champions League. NaijaBet.com

Although Zlatan had picked up his long-term injury by this point, the striker had still scored five goals in 11 games in the competition to help his side progress through to the final.

His tally of 28 in the 2016/17 was the most by any Manchester United player since Robin van Persie in 2012/13. In total, Zlatan scored 29 goals in 53 games for Manchester United, with just seven games and one goal coming this season. NaijaBet.com