Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in line for full first-team training at the end of the month
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC is on course to return to full training by the end of October.
The Manchester United striker, 35, has not played since undergoing knee surgery in April.
He landed awkwardly in the Europa League win over Anderlecht.
The injury was expected to keep him out until the New Year but the Swedish star has made stunning progress.
Ibrahimovic has been running and shooting at United’s Carrington training base and increased his intensity under the watchful eye of their conditioning coaches.
Club insiders reckon his physical condition is about 80 per cent of his maximum.
And there is a growing belief that — barring any setbacks — he will be able to resume physical contact work over the next couple of weeks.
Boss Jose Mourinho has consistently tried to play down Ibrahimovic’s chance of making a comeback before the end of the year.
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"The boffins at Sun Bets tell me there has never been a Premier League game end 0-0 between these sides too so expect goals.
"I'm going to have to go with Jurgen Klopp’s men as on paper they are the much better side.
"12/1 on a 3-1 away win is very tempting."
But the Portuguese included last season’s 28-goal top-scorer in his Champions League squad in August, which suggested he was ahead of schedule.
And Mourinho said on Friday he has been unable to hand £75million star Romelu Lukaku a rest while Ibrahimovic remains unavailable.
But now Ibra — who became an immediate cult figure at Old Trafford after his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain last year — could feature in the latter games of the group stage.
