José Mourinho has insisted that he isn't surprised at how well Zlatan Ibrahimović has adapted to the challenges of English football in his debut season after joining the Portuguese manager at Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.

Many pundits and fans questioned whether the 35-year-old would be able to avoid being another Premier League flop when he arrived at Old Trafford at the start of July last year, but the Swede has seemed to prove all doubters wrong and his goal contribution have been crucial for the Reds so far in the campaign.

Mourinho "knows" Zlatan

"Zlatan is not a surprise", José Mourinho said while speaking to the BBC, because "he's done it everywhere else" and the Manchester United manager added that he believes his #9 is "doing amazingly well" considering the big step up from Ligue 1 to the toughest league in world football.

Mourinho continued by admitting, “I know the personality, I know the body, I know the ambition that brought him here", which is understandable seen as though both men grew their relationship at Inter Milan where the 54-year-old coach gave the big man a platform to perform in the first team.

Ibrahimović has carried Manchester United at times this season

Zlatan Ibrahimović has gone from being a "waste of the wage budget" to the "best free transfer of all time" during his spell at the Red Devils after scoring 26 goals in 41 appearances as well as guiding the club to EFL Cup glory by scoring twice, including the winner, in the final against Southampton last month.

There's no doubt that his presence will be missed in United's next two league games against Middlesbrough and West Brom due to suspension but when he returns it'll be a huge boost to Jose Mourinho and his quest to get the famous club back into the Champions League.

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Alex Turk
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