Did Manchester United make the right decision in releasing Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

When Manchester United signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer of 2016, almost every single fan of the club felt it was the right decision. While his wages were astronomical, he came on a free transfer. If one excluded the money involved and saw what Ibrahimovic brought to the table, they would’ve agreed it was very good business done by manager Jose Mourinho executive and vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Leadership, strength (physical and of character), a will to win, theatricality, being a larger than life figure, and most importantly goals – this is what we associate with “Brand Zlatan.” Ibrahimovic has won trophies with almost every club he has played with and the same was expected at United.

It started well with him scoring the winner in the FA Community Shield to beat Leicester City. He scored regularly in the opening rounds of the Premier League as well. But then he went through a drought and United suffered. While their overall play was good, the other players didn’t score either. This put United in sixth place even before the half-way mark in the season – a position they would eventually finish.

But Ibrahimovic then began to score on a regular basis, re-igniting United’s season. He starred in the League Cup final win over Southampton with two goals – the second being a late winner. By this time, United were progressing in the UEFA Europa League as well. Ibrahimovic even scored his first hat-trick for the Red Devils against Saint-Etienne at Old Trafford.

While in the Premier League, things weren’t going as smoothly for Mourinho’s men, there was a chance of winning silverware in Europe. But on April 20, in the quarterfinals of the Europa League against Anderlecht, Ibrahimovic suffered a serious ligament damage in his right knee. This ruled him out for the rest of the season.

United limped on in the Premier League but managed to win the Europa League. By then it was revealed that Ibrahimovic would not return to action till at least January 2018, putting United in a tight situation. The Swedish striker scored 17 goals in only 28 appearances in the league and 28 goals in 46 matches overall. He was comfortably the top-scorer for United during the course of the season. The next highest were Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan with 11 goals each.

Ibrahimovic was only on a one-year deal, but there was a clause in his contract to extend his stay by one more year. United would most-certainly have activated that clause if he didn’t get injured or if his injury wasn’t such a long-term one. Mourinho and Woodward were faced with a dilemma – either hand Ibrahimovic a one-year deal with his astronomical wages knowing that he wouldn’t be able to play till at least 2018 or release him.

They chose the latter option. Many feel this didn’t show enough loyalty to United’s best player of the previous campaign. But many others felt that this was the only option that United had.

Why United were right to release Zlatan

The former Barcelona and AC Milan striker will turn 36 in October this year. While Ibrahimovic’s super-human efforts in his first season in England must be lauded, other factors have to be considered. Such a serious injury is not easy to recover from and Ibrahimovic isn’t getting younger – despite his self comparisons with Benjamin Button.

The January 2018 return date is the earliest he can come back, but there is no guarantee he would by then. His rehabilitation could take longer or he may get injured again if he tries to come back sooner.

Football is a business and like every other club, Manchester United would have looked at it from that point of view.

Taking a chance by offering Ibrahimovic a one-year extension on the hope he can start playing by January is a huge gamble. And many would say United rightly opted not to do so. They have already set their sights on Spanish and Real Madrid centre forward Alvaro Morata and also Italy and Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

While Ibrahimovic was a very important player for the club last season, United are trying to move swiftly to replace his goals. It is a tough decision, but one that had to be taken.

Why United were not right to release Zlatan

Ibrahimovic was more than just goals for United in the 2016-17 season. He provided hope, a sense of swagger which has been lost since Sir Alex Ferguson’s days, a return to the Big Boys’ league.

The Swede was United’s true leader on and off the pitch last season. Wayne Rooney’s powers have waned and he is captain only in name at the moment. He may even be sold before the transfer window closes.

This season will most-likely be Michael Carrick’s last at Old Trafford. If one removes Rooney and Carrick, there aren’t many experienced players in the dressing room. United have a young squad and while the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones may not be young, but they are not natural leaders either.

United need someone of Ibrahimovic’s stature in the dressing room. If he was retained, he would be a big influence for the youngsters in the squad. Rashford even spoke of Ibrahimovic’s positive influence on all of them last season.

Even if Ibrahimovic returns only after January, he could be vital for United till the end of the season. Even if the club acquire the services of both Morata and Belotti, Ibrahimovic can bolster their forward line during the business end of the campaign.

The question of money isn’t that important as United are a club who can definitely afford Ibrahimovic’s huge wages. Only recently Forbes confirmed that United are the most valuable football team of 2017.

Then there is also the loyalty factor. Despite his exorbitant wages, Ibrahimovic chose United – a club playing in the Europa League for 2016-17 – over many others who were in the Champions League.

If Ibrahimovic had got injured earlier in the season, United may not have been able to buy a quality replacement in January and then it would have been a far greater struggle for them to achieve the success they eventually managed to achieve. United should have shown him that loyalty, even if it was for just one season.

It is also speculated that he will move to Major League Soccer or even go to China. But there are also reports that claim Ibrahimovic will recuperate at United’s Carrington training centre and if his recovery is a success, he could be given a short-term deal till the end of the season.

Mourinho may be trying to replace Ibrahimovic’s goals, but by adding two players – that is how big a player he is. He should have been given a new contract.