Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic boasts ability that ‘you can’t teach’, according to former West Ham and England forward Dean Ashton.
The Swede has been an enigmatic figure throughout a distinguished career that has seen him collect league titles in Holland, Italy, Spain and France.
Those talents are now on display in the Premier League, with Jose Mourinho jumping at the opportunity to be reunited with a talismanic performer he previously worked with at Inter Milan.
United’s faith in Ibrahimovic to continue producing match-altering moments of brilliance has been handsomely rewarded, with the 35-year-old slipping seamlessly into the fold at Old Trafford.
He has been on a remarkable run of form of late, taking his goal tally for the season to 17 in all competitions.
Ashton is among those to have been impressed by Ibrahimovic’s contribution and has compared him to iconic figures of the recent past such as Gianfranco Zola, Teddy Sheringham and Dennis Bergkamp.
“You can teach most things in football, but you can’t teach what he has,” he told talkSPORT.
“It’s what only certain players have. So I’d put Teddy Sheringham in that bracket, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp.
“This type of player, where it’s not about pace – I mean he’s not slow. He doesn’t run past players, that’s not what he does.
“But it’s having spatial awareness, its being one step ahead of defenders – because your intelligence level is higher than other players.
“You can’t teach that!”
Ibrahimovic was among the goals on Boxing Day as United swept aside Sunderland 3-1 at Old Trafford.
He now has 50 efforts for the calendar year in club football and will get one more opportunity to add to his tally when the Red Devils face Middlesbrough on New Year’s Eve.
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