Man, let me tell you about trying to figure out this Big Ibra situation at United. Total mess, honestly. Started digging into why things went sideways after all that initial hype.
The Initial Buzz
Remember when they signed him? Huge fanfare. Big Zlatan coming to save United. Posters everywhere, headlines screaming “God”. Felt like the missing piece. I got caught up in it too. Downloaded highlight reels, tracked his first training photos. Seemed perfect.
The First Snags
Started noticing little things quickly. Didn’t look smooth on the pitch, honestly. Tried to put it down to settling in.
- He’d drop deep, right where Pogba wanted to be. Jammed up the middle.
- Everyone just started booting long balls towards his head. Looked desperate, like Sunday league.
- Movement felt stiff. Others weren’t making the runs he needed.
The Knee Thing
Then the knee blew out. Europa League. Horrible landing. You could see it in his face. Season done. That moment changed everything.
The Nightmare Recovery & Comeback
Coming back was brutal.
- His contract was massive money. Club kept paying, hoping he’d be the hero again.
- But he moved like a tank running on fumes. Lost that explosive first step.
- Younger players coming through (Rashford, Martial) needed space he wasn’t giving.
- Still demanded the ball, demanded status. Started to feel like a distraction.
I tracked it all. Games, salary reports, fan forum meltdowns. Patch jobs happening everywhere. Jose trying different formations just to fit him in, totally wrecking other setups.
The Final Straw
Eventually, you just saw the logic hit everyone. His wages were blocking signing anyone decent for the future. Lukaku arrives? Big money. Zlatan was on big money too. Couldn’t carry both. Had to choose.
Simple math kicked him out. Sent him packing to LA. Beautiful stadium photo op, sun shining, problem solved (mostly). United basically paid a fortune for one decent season and a stadium selfie. Felt like putting out one fire by starting another, bigger one somewhere else.
Made me think: sometimes the biggest signings cause the biggest headaches, long-term. Nobody talks to each other properly. Manager wants one thing, scouts see a name, finances say something else. You end up with a Frankenstein squad full of expensive parts that don’t fit.
