Ibrahimovic to wear number 10 for United

Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to Manchester United to find his usual number occupied.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back at Manchester United this season, recently re-signing at Old Trafford after seeming to part ways with the club at the end of last season. The only problem, though, was that his iconic number 9 was already taken by new addition Romelu Lukaku.

The legendary forward found a solution, though, in his typically self-confident fashion.

Ibrahimovic will move one up this season, taking on Wayne Rooney’s old number 10. The decision may be slightly controversial, with Rooney, United’s all-time top scorer and former captain, moving on just this summer. That said, Ibra may be the only player in the world confident enough to do it.

Last year, in his first season at United, Ibrahimovic was a very effective target man, banging in 28 goals across all competitions. Five of those came in the Europa League, a tournament in which he was a key piece before suffering an ACL injury in a knockout match against Anderlecht.

Ibra’s recovery from the gruesome injury has been an impressive process, and it looks like he’s well ahead of schedule in his road to returning to play. United have not said exactly when he’ll be able to feature for the club, but the 35-year-old probably still has a little ways to go before he’s up to Premier League level.

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United’s Champions League 25-man squad was announced earlier this week, and Ibrahimovic was included, meaning that he could be in the plans for later group stage games. Initially, the striker was expected to be out of the lineup until January, but the club may have their eyes on the the Dec. 5 game against CSKA Moscow, or even the Nov. 22 fixture in Basel.

With a new number on his back, Ibrahimovic has large shoes to fill at United, but he certainly feels he can take up the mantle.