Zlatan Ibrahimovic claims teammate Paul Pogba struggled with the pressure of being the world’s most expensive player when first arriving at Manchester United.
The French playmaker returned to Old Trafford at the beginning of 2016-17 in a world record £89 million transfer, but only managed to net four goals in his first three months under Jose Mourinho.
Since the end of November, however, Pogba has registered a goal and four assists as the Red Devils won four straight Premier League games. Ibrahimovic believes that the 23-year-old has overcome the expectations that came with his price tag.
“I think when Paul came, in his first period in United, let’s say the first month, I think he wanted to demonstrate too much that he was worth the transfer that happened instead of playing his game,” the Swede said in an interview with ESPN FC.
“When that started to cool down, he started to play like he knows how to play, and he makes it more easier for himself…everyone knows who Paul is, what he has been doing at Juventus for the past three to four years, what he’s able to do, and now he’s playing more like Pogba.
“He has nothing to demonstrate, he has nothing to show, he just needs to enjoy the game and help the team like he’s doing now. So now he’s playing like a mature player and you see the results.”
Ibrahimovic similarly praised fellow summer arrival Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has scored in three straight outings across all competitions.
“You know when you have a good student, you always learn, that’s exactly what I have in Mickey,” Ibrahimovic said. “He has been a good example for learning from Ibra-cadabra, so I’m happy for him.”
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