United kids learning from Zlatan

The question of whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, could still perform in the Premier League has been answered early on by two goals in his first two Manchester United games.

|||

Jose Mourinho warned rivals to forget Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s age and claimed that the striker is at the peak of his powers after he hit the third goal in a commanding victory against Bournemouth.

The question of whether Ibrahimovic, 34, could still perform in the Premier League has been answered early on by two goals in his first two Manchester United games. Ibrahimovic scored the Community Shield winner eight days ago and added to his tally with a long-range effort after Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney had put United ahead in their Premier League opener.

‘You have to forget the passport, that he is 34 years old,’ Mourinho declared. ‘The body and mentality are not those of a 34-year-old guy.’

Mourinho also indicated that the Swede’s status is helping the younger players in his squad.

‘The first thing I can tell you is that his table for breakfast and for meals is surrounded by the young ones, the kids,’ he said. ‘Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford. These are the guys who are with him at the table. He knows what he can be for them.’

Mourinho, whose side conceded a second-half goal to Adam Smith, expects his men to challenge for the title this season.

He said: ‘Win it or not win it is a different story. We don’t hide in our words or our approach, so we are going to fight until it’s possible.

‘If one day it’s not mathematically possible then we’ll think about top four.’ – Daily Mail