Ibrahimovic Continues To Lead United With Much Needed Hat-Trick Vs Saint-Etienne

Ibrahimovic Continues To Lead United With Much Needed Hat-Trick Vs Saint-Etienne

Having bagged a hat-trick against St. Etienne in the Europa League on Thursday night, Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not held back in praising his own performance and has a made a stark declaration for the rest of the season.

The Swede, whose 17th career treble, and first in a Manchester United shirt, sealed the win for Jose Mourinho’s side and saved them from embarrassment after a rather off the pace performance especially in the first half, has made it clear that he is in Manchester to succeed in any tournament he faces.

With the Red Devils still going on all four fronts, the remainder of the season could be a tough one for the squad. However, with Mourinho revealing that there was a relaxed and complacent atmosphere in the home dressing room on Thursday night, the rest of the playing staff must follow Ibrahimovic’s example.


While the Europa League is not something anyone involved with the club would have wanted to be in, it is better than nothing and, at the end of the day, is another trophy for Mourinho’s side to take home.

For a club of Manchester United’s size, who should be winning Europe’s second tier competition at a canter, to not win a competition in which they are clear frontrunners could do more damage than the packed schedule.

With a young squad coming through, with the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard being called out for posting dancing videos on social channels, the likes of Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick need to be regularly reminding the squad what is expected of them every time they step out.

Were it not for the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker’s scrappy hat-trick, the club could have been in very tight spot going into the next couple of weeks.

Another case of where they will need such leadership is at Wembley a week on Sunday. Mourinho takes his team to the capital for the EFL Cup final against a Southampton side who haven’t won a major trophy for over 40 years, when they beat United in the FA Cup final in 1976.

The Saints will, undoubtedly, be more fired up than the Red Devils, however should Ibrahimovic inspire those behind him with a similar drive to succeed wherever he can, just like Indiana Jones as he peculiarly put it, then they should have no problem taking home the first major trophy of Mourinho’s reign.

Ibrahimovic’s drive to win is something that, inevitably, will rub off on the entire dressing room and, having got them out of jail on Thursday night, Mourinho will be hoping it has an effect sooner rather than later.