Ibrahimovic might have got Liverpool contract if he never went to Manchester, says Jurgen Klopp

However, Klopp also said he has no guarantee that Zlatan would have accepted an offer to join the Reds considering the way the Premier League leaders play.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his days at Old Trafford (File | AP)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his days at Old Trafford (File | AP)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he might have tried to bring former Swedish captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Anfield if he wasn't once a Manchester United player.  Klopp's comment comes days after the striker decided to part ways with MLS side LA Galaxy, whom he joined in 2018 after a two-year spell at Old Trafford.

"If he hadn't played for Manchester United, then we might have considered him," Klopp told a Swedish media.

However, Klopp also said he has no guarantee that Zlatan would have accepted an offer to join the Reds considering the way the Premier League leaders play.

"I'm not sure he would have wanted to play here -- we're a pretty intense team." With that said, I couldn't have had more respect for Zlatan. I love his whole career, love his efforts, love his confidence," the German said.

The former Borussia Dortmund gaffer added that Ibrahimovic is the owner of a fantastic character and the football fraternity will miss him so much when the 38-year-old decides to hang his boots.

Jurgen Klopp | AP
Jurgen Klopp | AP

Ibrahimovic spent 18 months at Manchester under former manager Jose Mourinho and scored 28 goals in his first season in 2016/17. However, he then suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury and failed to recover his place in the side after Lukaku's arrival, triggering his 2018 move to LA.

"If Zlatan was 28 at his next birthday, not 38, then maybe," Manchester United gaffer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had said when asked about a possible return of the Swede to the Premier League. "I don’t think it will happen. I think he had his time at the club and he has had a fantastic career at the club. But he knows my number and if he is serious, I will always speak to Zlatan," he added.

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