Mourinho and Ibra in quotes

Jose Mourinho is close to being appointed as Manchester United manager and he could reportedly be joined at Old Trafford by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Sky Sports News HQ understands Ibrahimovic, a free agent after the expiry of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, is eager to join United, and newspaper reports say the 34-year-old striker is close to agreeing a one-year deal with an option for a further year.

It would represent a blockbuster reunion for Mourinho and Ibrahimovic, who spent the 2008/09 season together at Inter Milan before the Swede moved to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

The two personalities clashed at times but Ibrahimovic fired 25 goals as Mourinho steered Inter to the Serie A title, and they formed a strong bond during their time together. With a reunion on the cards, we look at what they have said about each other over the years…

MOURINHO ON IBRAHIMOVIC

In April 2014, Mourinho recalled an episode at Inter Milan when he refused to substitute an angry Ibrahimovic, who felt his team-mates weren’t helping him to score the goals he needed to win the Serie A Golden Boot.

“He was very angry and upset as he came at me. He was shouting, ‘We are champions, I helped a lot to make you champions, now nobody’s helping me. I want to [come off] now’.

“But I pretended not to understand him. I said, ‘What? What? Do you want a drink, do you want some water?’ and I threw him a bottle. I told him, ‘Here, take a drink and go’. A few minutes later he scored a beautiful goal.”

In the same interview, Mourinho admitted he had a special relationship with Ibrahimovic, whose dedication was as valuable as his quality at Inter.

“A player who gave me as much as Ibra will always be in my heart. He did a lot for Inter and Inter did a lot for him. I like seeing Ibra. I greet him whenever I get the chance to and I wish him all the best – except when he plays against me. He is very special, he is one of the best strikers in the world.”

It was not the first time Mourinho had sung Ibrahimovic’s praises. In the middle of the 2008/09 season, he …

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