Jose Mourinho confirms Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be named in his Champions League squad despite the Manchester United boss admitting he 'won't be ready for the group stage'

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Jose Mourinho will name Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Manchester United's Champions League squad on the off-chance he makes a miraculous injury recovery.

The Swede penned a contract until the end of the season on significantly reduced wages this week and is stepping up rehabilitation on a cruciate knee injury sustained in April.

Ibrahimovic hopes to pull on a United shirt before January but though Mourinho does not hold out much hope, he will still name the 35-year-old in the 25-man European squad next week.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is targeting a return to action for Manchester United before January

'He will not be ready for the group phase of the Champions League, I don't think there is any chance of that but we do have space in the list to have him,' Mourinho said.

'So we don't need to leave any player outside of the list but I'm not thinking Zlatan will play any part of the group phase.

'He will be an extra man for us in the second part of the season. When I say the second part I say normally we say January after Christmas. Let him do his work step by step and comeback when he's ready.

'A club like United, in my opinion, has to show how big it is in the details. This is a big detail. A player who gets injured in a United shirt, fighting for United, the club has to be there for him.

Jose Mourinho's side face Benfica, Basle and CSKA Moscow in their Champions League group

Mourinho praised Ibrahimovic: 'It would have been very easy for him to say goodbye'

'It would have been very easy for him to say goodbye, that'd enough. Won the cup, big injury, goodbye. He doesn't want to do that, he wants to follow his other dreams and play at the highest level.' 

United face Benfica, Basle and CSKA Moscow, with Mourinho suggesting Champions League rivals have far easier groups to manoeuvre.

'We're in this group - like the Porto group - where everyone can win or lose. We are going to share points.

'You are not going to see a 4-0 or 5-0, with 13, 14, 16 points, so I think it's a dangerous group and if you go to the recent history of United, they lost to Basle and could not beat Benfica in two matches.

'CSKA Moscow, I think 0-0 or something. I know the dimension of Benfica, I played a few times against CSKA, against Basle too, I know the places, atmospheres, style of play.'

Ibrahimovic is recovering from the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered in April