Manchester United: Agent claims Zlatan has miraculous knees

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United goes down injured during the UEFA Europa League quarter final second leg match between Manchester United and RSC Anderlecht at Old Trafford on March 20, 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United goes down injured during the UEFA Europa League quarter final second leg match between Manchester United and RSC Anderlecht at Old Trafford on March 20, 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Could Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to Manchester United next season?

If you’re inclined to believe super agent Mino Raiola, the state of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s knees are a medical marvel. He believes the talented Swede may make a full recovery in time to regain his top form prior to next season.

Raiola even goes so far as to claim that medical officials in Pittsburgh want to bring the striker back to their facility after his career is over. That’s just how good his knee ligaments are. They are allegedly such a medical marvel that doctors want to study them in hopes of learning more about them.

This idea, of course, is vastly different from the opinion of Manchester United officials in the aftermath of Zlatan’s injury. Jose Mourinho and company are highly skeptical that he’ll ever be able to make a full recovery. At 35 years of age it certainly seems unlikely that he’s going to return to his top form after such a gruesome injury.

Manchester United fans should read Raiola’s comments with a giant grain of salt. Remember that his job as Zlatan’s agent is to try to get his client another massive payday next season. Even if it doesn’t come from United, Raiola will still work to find a lucrative landing spot for his client.

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That obviously won’t happen if the prevailing wisdom throughout Europe is that Zlatan’s career is over. Raiola is smart to be working to get ahead of that potential line of thinking. By planting the seed that Zlatan could possibly make a full recovery, he’s begun the process of rebuilding his client’s reputation.

All of this agent posturing won’t mean anything if Zlatan’s knee doesn’t recover enough for him to work out for teams this summer. It’s highly unlikely a European power is going to hand him a new contract without seeing his recovery up close. The timing of the striker’s readiness for such a workout is still very much up in the air.

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In the end, Raiola’s comments are nothing more than a desperate attempt to create a market for his client. The idea that Zlatan’s knees are a medical marvel is a fun story, but nothing more. Manchester United fans should not hold out hope that Zlatan will lead their line at any point next season.