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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on December 26, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on December 26, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)Alex Livesey/Getty Images

FA Cup a Must-Win for Manchester United, Jose Mourinho, Says Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Rory Marsden
Apr 5, 2018

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hailed Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho as "the Special One" but said he needs to lead the Red Devils to glory in the FA Cup in order to save the club's 2017-18 campaign.

The Red Devils are second in the Premier League but could suffer the ignominy of seeingย Manchester City claim the title if they lose to their local rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

An abject last-16 defeat to Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League has left United with only the FA Cup left to fight for, and they face Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals on April 21.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford on March 31, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Ibrahimovic, 36, left United to join L.A. Galaxy in March after close to two seasons at Old Trafford. He backed Mourinhoย and urged him to go all the way in the FA Cup, per ESPN FC:

"I like Mourinho. He is the Special One.ย He likes to win. Wherever he went he won. He made me feel comfortable. He gave me a lot of responsibility. He said to me the only problem he had with me was when could he rest me.

"They've been doing it good. Let's hope, there's one last trophy to play for, and that's the FA Cup. So hopefully they win it. Last year we had a big success with the three trophies. With a new team like thatโ€”new coach, couple of new playersโ€”and hopefully that rings on, because as a top team, like United, you need to keep winning, because that is the status of the club. You need to win. And if you're not winning, you're not belonging to the top."

The decorated Swede played a key role for Mourinhoย last term, as the Portuguese manager guided United the EFL Cup, the UEFA Europa League and the Community Shield during his first season in charge at Old Trafford.

United re-signed Ibrahimovic in the summer after he made impressive progress in his recovery from a knee injury, but he was never able to force his way back into the first team.

A combination of his injury and the increase in competition for placesโ€”especially because of Romelu Lukaku's arrivalโ€”meantย Ibrahimovicย played only 103 minutes in the Premier League in 2017-18 before departing for MLS.ย 

The veteran forward has already made an impact for the Galaxy. He came off the bench to make his debut on Saturday against Los Angeles FC and scored twice in a remarkable comeback win from 3-0 down, per MLS:

The former Ajax, Juventus and Barcelona man is unlikely to be missed on the pitch for United, as Mourinho has a wealth of attacking talent to call on.

But as Ibrahimovic said, the Red Devils need to make their quality count by claiming the FA Cup this season.

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