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Jose and Zlatan at Old Trafford: A bittersweet moment for Manchester United

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Pratik Sagar
Pratik SagarJul 01, 2016 | 14:43

Jose and Zlatan at Old Trafford: A bittersweet moment for Manchester United

The era of "The Special One" is well and truly underway at Old Trafford.

All the cynicism, glum and negativity has been lifted with the signing of two of the biggest egos in world football at the moment.

Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Manchester could be a match made in heaven, while it could also prove to be a gamble from hell. But it’s a risk worth taking for the falling giants.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

United fans can’t even remember the last time they gasped at a stunning move inside the Theater of Dreams. The previous manager bored them to death with a style of football that made Roy Hodgson look like a genius. But all that is about to change drastically.

Mourinho has addressed the one thing that "Stretford End" craved the most - swagger. The same swagger that had retired from Manchester along with the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

This super signing of Zlatan has already sent shivers down the spines of Premier League rivals. The Swede was famously quoted as saying, "Mourinho can motivate me to kill for him."

A statement that will ring a few alarm bells in the blue half of Manchester. City's new manager could certainly do with a "Pep" talk himself.

But Zlatan is not only about the awesomeness off the field, he more than justifies it on the pitch too.

Ibra has won 11 league titles in the past 12 seasons in Italy, Spain and France. The former PSG lad scores a huge number of goals and has a penchant for scoring goals which can be only described as outrageous in nature. Last season, he was the second highest goal scorer across Europe’s top five leagues.

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There is a chance this "super combo" can backfire also, as Jose and Zlatan are a short-time fix for Manchester United. Both believe in the "eat, sleep, win, change club and repeat" mantra.

The arrival of Ibrahimovic could also stall the progress of academy products like Marcus Rashford.

Mourinho’s past shows he himself isn't a big fan of youngsters either. But it’s a necessary step from the board after giving six and three-year contracts respectively to the likes of David Moyes and Van Gaal (although they Moyes was sacked after 10 months, and Van Gaal after two years) to build a decent team. 

Manchester United are also known to be a commercial juggernaut, dominating the world of money for decades now. Once Europe’s most successful and rich club is currently searching for its identify on and off the pitch.

The arrival of Jose and Zlatan will certainly arrest this free fall. It keeps the fans happy and stadium full. While the selling of jerseys and merchandise will keep the sponsors happy.

Last updated: July 01, 2016 | 14:43
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