Zlatan Ibrahimovic Says Pep Guardiola Feud Gives Him 'Extra Motivation'

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that he continues to be driven by the way he was treated at Barcelona by then-manager Pep Guardiola. 

After moving from Inter Milan to Barca in 2009, Ibrahimovic lasted only a season at the Camp Nou before moving to AC Milan after falling out with Guardiola.

With the Spanish manager now in charge of United's local rivals Manchester City, the 35-year-old Swede said he still blames Guardiola and continues to be motivated by his Barcelona ordeal, per Sky Italia (via the Mirror's Liam Corless):

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I learned a lot from Barcelona, on and off the pitch. I learned that in football any situation can change in 24 hours. The problem wasn't with me, it was with him and he never came to terms with it. I don't know what his problem was with me. 

Before [I joined Barca] he was calling me every day to get me and then all of a sudden the situation changed. It is something that drives me, gives me adrenaline, and extra motivation. It is normal, after what has happened. I'm using it as a positive, not a negative. It is something in the back of my mind. It is the past and I am someone who looks to the future and the future is in front of me.

"

Per BBC Sport, Barcelona paid £40 million for Ibrahimovic, with Samuel Eto'o also included in the deal.

He had a decent season with the Blaugrana in 2009-10, netting 16 goals and providing seven assists in 29 appearances as Barca won La Liga, per WhoScored.com.

However, Ibrahimovic was then loaned out to Milan for the 2010-11 campaign before joining the Italian giants permanently.

In the years since, Ibrahimovic has not held back in his criticism of Guardiola. Per Sky Sports, he previously labelled the manager a "spineless coward" in his autobiography and famously said of how he was deployed at Barca: "You bought a Ferrari, but you drive it like a Fiat."

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The pair are now on opposite sides of the Manchester divide and enjoying different fortunes in their first seasons in the Premier League.

Guardiola's City sit five points above Ibrahimovic's United in the table, but the former Bayern Munich boss has endured some tough criticism given how high expectations were when he arrived at the club in the summer, per Ian Wright in The Sun.

Zlatan, meanwhile, has met, if not exceeded, the lofty expectations that came with his move from PSG to Old Trafford last year. 

He has become a talismanic leader in Jose Mourinho's squad and netted 26 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions, per Opta:

Guardiola and Ibrahimovic will come up against each other again when City host United in the Premier League in late April for what could be a crucial encounter in relation to UEFA Champions League qualification.

Given Ibrahimovic's latest comments, there is unlikely to be any burying of the hatchet in the build-up to that clash, and the United striker will be eager to inflict a defeat on his former manager.