Why Zlatan Ibrahimovic Is the PSG Player Most in Need of the International Break

In terms of minutes played for Paris Saint-Germain this season, outside of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and captain Thiago Silva, the next most used player is Ligue 1 top scorer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It will come as welcome news to Laurent Blanc that the forward won't feature for Sweden this week as he is the PSG player most in need of the international break.

"For a while I have been thinking about what I can do to preserve his form until the summer. I can't affect how much he plays at Paris, but I have offered him the opportunity to skip the match in Turkey," Sweden coach Erik Hamren said ahead of Friday's game via Herald.ie.

In 23 starts and two substitute appearances this season, Ibrahimovic has played 2,032 minutes in Ligue 1, plus another 700 minutes in eight Champions League games.

That averages out at around 82.7 minutes per game at the top level. He has scored 31 goals in that time, adding 14 assists. It has been a wonderful season for the Swedish talisman, and although the title has been secured, the focus now shifts to the Champions League.

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

"Zlatan accepted the offer today, he will not play against Turkey," continued Hamren. "I think that is good for him, and in the end also good for the team. It is a way of trying to maintain his superb form until the Euros this summer."

PSG take on Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the competition, with the first leg in Paris on April 6. With the season he is having, there is little doubt that Ibrahimovic will be key to the French club's attempt to make the semi-finals.

Last season, as injuries took their toll, the 34-year-old played a total of 2,002 minutes in just 24 games—an average of 83.4 minutes per contest. His average may be slightly down, but he has already played more minutes this campaign, with his increased fitness, his performances have vastly improved.

In his first season in Paris, Ibra finished with 30 league goals, rather than go on an emulate that, injuries hampered his chances of beating Jean-Pierre Papin’s Ligue 1 record. He needs just four more to do that, and after Sunday’s defeat to Monaco, the Swede will be more than motivated to surpass the 30-mark and potentially leave Paris with another record in his bag.

As important as the Champions League will be to Zlatan, who turns 35 years old in October, there is no doubt he will have an eye on performing for Sweden in the country he has called home for the last four years.

Sweden missed out on the 2014 World Cup after losing a play-off against Portugal and will believe in their chances of making an impression in France this summer. They take on the Republic of Ireland in their opening game at the Stade de France on June 13, then face huge tests against Belgium and Italy.

Only eight of the 24 teams will be eliminated from the competition in the group stage, meaning that third place could be enough to advance. Used wisely, Ibrahimovic will be fit and raring to go this summer, potentially on the back of his best season in Ligue 1.

Sweden are resting the forward to give him the best opportunity to be at 100 percent at Euro 2016, but it also gives the Parisian giants the greatest chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the Champions League, which is one of the only club competitions that Zlatan has yet to win.