Man Utd ace Paul Pogba backs Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return

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Paul Pogba has backed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return strongly from injury
Pogba believes Zlatan 'will always be Zlatan' and will respond accordnigly
The future of the Swedish striker is still up in the air ahead of next season
It is believed United are unwilling to offer the 35-year-old a fresh contract

Published: 03:25 EDT, 9 June 2017 | Updated: 03:25 EDT, 9 June 2017

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Paul Pogba has rallied behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, insisting the talismanic striker will return strongly from his cruciate knee injury and 'will always be Zlatan.'

Ibrahimovic saw his season cut short after falling awkwardly on his knee during Manchester United's Europa League quarter-final clash with Anderlecht.

The Swedish icon has since skyrocketed on the road to recovery, surpassing doctors' expectations and proving his age has no bearing upon his impeccable athletic makeup.

Paul Pogba has backed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return from his knee injury stronger than ever

While it will still be some time before Ibrahimovic returns to the football pitch, his team-mate Pogba is expecting the ordeal to have no impact upon the striker.

'He is a player who helped us a lot from an athletic point of view as well as from the mental side on and off the pitch,' Pogba told Sky Sports.

'He's a wonderful person, incredibly funny, I only spend great moments with him.

'On the pitch he is a winner, he added this mentality to our team. He scored a lot of goals this season, nobody would have thought that given his age,' Pogba added.

The Swedish star defied critics by flourishing in his first season in the Premier League

Pogba insists 'he will always be Zlatan' while praising the striker's efforts at Old Trafford

But the Frenchman maintains the one factor which will help his team-mate return stronger than ever, is him simply being himself.

'He was unlucky and suffered a bad injury but he won three trophies with us. He will always be Zlatan,' said Pogba.

The future of Ibrahimovic remains up in the air, with United believed to be unwilling to offer the 35-year-old a new contract.

Jose Mourinho's side look set to delve into the market for firepower, having been linked with Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata and Andrea Belotti of Torino.

Meanwhile Wayne Rooney may well decide to see out the final year of his United contract at Old Trafford.