Gist Coven

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has branded Pep Guardiola ‘immature’ in a renewed attack on the Manchester City coach. The Manchester United striker first criticised the Catalan coach in his book I Am Zlatan after the pair fell out during their time together at Barcelona. The Swede endured a turbulent year under Guardiola at the Nou Camp, leaving for Inter Milan after questioning Barca’s perceived reliance on Lionel Messi. He later called the coach a ‘spineless coward’ and admitted he is still driven by proving a point to the now Blues boss after joining United last year. Now Ibrahimovic – a second-half substitute in United’s derby defeat to City on Sunday – has reasserted his view of his former boss in an interview with Sky Italia . “And I told Guardiola that he’d sacrificed the other players for Messi,” he said. “He told me he understood me. “After that, he put me on the bench for the next game, the one after that and the one after that. “And I thought, ‘he’s solved the problem ve...

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has embraced the thought of a strike partnership between Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and said that the duo would provide "guaranteed goals". Ibrahimovic returned to action against Newcastle United on Saturday following knee ligament damage that kept him out since April, while Romelu Lukaku scored his first Premier League goal since the end of September. Spaniard Mata has been key for Jose Mourinho's men this season and would be keen to see the two strikers combine. "Can you imagine Zlatan and Lukaku in the team, both scoring goals?," Mata told The Mirror. "It would be a strike force of the highest level and a constant danger against anyone. "There would be guaranteed goals for United in attack. I think other teams will be worried. Having Ibra back is a very big moment. "If he comes back with his usual style then United have a sensational reinforcement for the second half of the season. ...

Fit-again Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted that he was never worried about returning to action ahead of schedule as "lions do not recover like humans". The 36-year-old made his first appearance for the Red Devils in more than seven months when introduced from the bench in Saturday evening's 4-1 win against Newcastle United. Ibrahimovic, now sporting the number 10 shirt after re-signing for the club in the summer, battled back from a cruciate knee ligament injury well ahead of the predicted nine-month layoff. Asked by BT Sport after the match if he was concerned about pushing himself too much, the Swedish striker said: "No. Lions don't recover like humans. "This feels special. Different day, same quality. I'm not worried at all - I train hard, sacrifice a lot. I play in my head, my knee just needs to follow." Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in 46 appearances for United in his maiden campaign at United, leading to the...