Man Utd's misfiring forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives Jose Mourinho reason for concern as problems mount

Jose Mourinho  - Misfiring Ibrahimovic concerns Mourinho as problems mount for Manchester United
Under pressure: Jose Mourinho's start at Manchester United has been worse than either of his two predecessors' Credit: reuters

Jose Mourinho has plenty of problems to contend with as Manchester United’s season continues to underwhelm and he has finally admitted that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of them.

Ibrahimovic's poor form in front of goal – he has scored just once in 11 games - has not escaped criticism from the Portuguese, but at least he believes his misfiring striker has the personality to handle the pressure he is under.

United’s 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce means they are now struggling in both European and domestic competitions and travel to Swansea this weekend in desperate need of a win.

Mourinho has suffered a worst start to the season than either the derided Louis van Gaal or David Moyes and his side have not scored for three successive Premier League games.

Fenerbahce's Jeremain Lens celebrates - Misfiring Ibrahimovic concerns Mourinho as problems mount for Manchester United
United's group stage loss to Fenerbahce this week has only added to Mourinho's woes Credit: reuters

Although Ibrahimovic, who retired from international football with Sweden after the European Championships to prolong his club career, claimed he would become a United legend when he signed on a free transfer from Paris Saint Germain in the summer, he has started to look like a player whose best years are behind him.

Although Ibrahimovic was prolific in France, the standard of football in Ligue 1 is poor compared to the Premier League. He also benefited from the fact he was playing for a PSG side that dominated the league. At the age of 35, Ibrahimovic has looked increasingly laboured and there have been suggestions he is, like so many others before him, finding the pace of English football a problem.

“He is playing well for the team,” said Mourinho in the aftermath of United’s defeat in Istanbul, typical of the language reserved for a forward who cannot  score.

“He’s creating a lot of chances and missing a lot of goals. If I remember Stoke, Liverpool, Chelsea, Burnley, he missed a lot of goals, but he was fantastic in his dynamic, his working, his building up for the team, he was fantastic.

“I cannot say the same [against Fenerbahce]. But in every match in the Premier League, even when not scoring goals he’s being fantastic. His attitude is always brilliant. He’s not a guy afraid of his responsibility, so no problem at all.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring for PSG - Misfiring Ibrahimovic concerns Mourinho as problems mount for Manchester United
Past his peak? There are concerns that Ibrahimovic is not up to the pace of the Premier League Credit: reuters

Ibrahimovic’s mood is unlikely to be helped by the fact he has been mocked by Fenerbahce’s Simon Kjaer, who he grabbed by the throat on Thursday night following an argument.

“I actually didn’t hear what he said but I do know that he wasn’t happy,” Kjaer told Swedish Channel 9. “But that’s the way I know him from the pitch. He is the kind of chest-puffing player, who is arrogant.

“That is his way of playing. My way of playing is to mark him as tightly as possible and to give him as little space as possible, because he is a good player.”

The worrying thing for Mourinho is that Wayne Rooney, the like-for-like replacement in the centre forward role, has also been struggling in front of goal, although he did at least end his drought with a fantastic consolation strike in Istanbul. It was his first goal since the start of August. “Maybe it’s also a key point in terms of his self-confidence,” Mourinho said.

Wayne Rooney scores against Fenerbahce - Misfiring Ibrahimovic concerns Mourinho as problems mount for Manchester United
Mourinho is hopeful that Rooney's goal in Turkey will reinvigorate his captain Credit: reuters

Mourinho is not enjoying the criticism he is attracting, particularly as there are those who are starting to wonder whether he is the same manager he was at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Coupled with his own admission that he has found living away from his family in Manchester difficult, the 53-year-old has much to do to prove the doubters wrong.

Not that he is short of excuses, pointing out that his team’s problems in defence are mainly caused by injuries to Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling, rather than his inability to organise them. That has forced United to play Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo in the middle of the back four.

“You never saw a Jose Mourinho team play with two left-backs as central defenders,” he replied when his defensive record at United was questioned.

“I cannot be critical of the boys because they do what they can. They try their best. For Daley, it is even more difficult to play central defender on the right side. It is completely uncomfortable for him. He cannot be a good builder of the game when this is one of his good qualities.

“Marcos is trying hard and is fine, but it’s a very important starting point for the stability of the team.

Jose Mourinho - Misfiring Ibrahimovic concerns Mourinho as problems mount for Manchester United
Mourinho has made excuses for poor international and domestic starts, but pressure is mounting Credit: ap photo

“Even in matches where we didn’t concede goals with them, against Man City and Burnley, they were home matches and we managed to play with a high percentage of the ball and managed to play with the defensive line almost in the midfield.

“It’s hard to have a really strong team [away from home] but then we can talk about the number of goals that we don’t score.

“Sometimes a team doesn’t score goals because of its philosophy, because the team isn’t aggressive enough and doesn’t risk enough. That’s not our case at all. But it’s easy to see that some players lack confidence in attacking areas and they are not getting the chances they can.”

United’s search for a win is not going to be helped by the likely absence of world record signing Paul Pogba on Sunday.

The France international was brutally taken out by Fenerbahce’s midfielder Souza, with a knee into his upper thigh, and was forced to come after just half an hour in Istanbul.

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