Jose Mourinho has played down talk of an early Zlatan Ibrahimovic return, after the striker posted a video of himself running on a treadmill. The new no.10 looked set to never play for the club again after suffering knee ligament damage in April, but after subsequently signing a new deal at the club there are now rumours that the Swedish legend could return as early as October.

However, Mourinho has called for patience with Ibrahimovic, and says he wants the striker back to his best rather than coming back too early.

Mourinho said: “I think we need him. We wait for him, but with patience.”

“He has to be patient.”

“He doesn’t have to be emotional and he doesn’t have to try to make crazy things to improve in his mind quicker.”

“Because I know that his desire is to improve quicker. So calm. Step by step.”

“We want him. But we want him in the best conditions.”

Ibrahimovic’s debut season at United went as swimmingly as every other season, he scored 28 goals for the club before being struck with the knee injury. The players’ agent Mino Raiola said previously that it would be around January 2018 before the Swede would don the United shirt again.

Raiola said: “It’s fine, everything goes on to the best.”

“It’s about a possible return to the field in January, but we know that can not anticipate it. We just have to wait for it, for sure it is very good.”

But Zlatan himself is looking up, and believes his knee is ‘almost there’ despite what his agent says.

He said: “The knee is almost there. I want everybody to have patience. And when I come back, the world will know.”

[Quotes sourced via The Sun]