Larsson: Zlatan Can Bring United Back To The Top

Henrik Larsson believes his former Sweden strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic can take Manchester United back to "where it belongs" - at the top.

Larsson enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at Old Trafford in 2007 and feels age will not be an issue for Ibrahimovic who, at 34, is slightly younger than his fellow centre-forward was nine years ago.

United's summer signing could make his eagerly-awaited debut in Saturday's friendly against Galatasaray in Gothenburg, live on MUTV, and expectations are high for the world-class attacker.

"Zlatan is gigantic in Sweden," Larsson told ManUtd.com in an exclusive interview. "He is the number one. Everyone knows of him and everyone knows about him. There are going to be a lot of people interested to see him as well.

"I think everybody has seen him play but, for a man that big to have the technique he has and the skills he has, it’s a pleasure to watch. So I have to hope everything goes well now when he comes to Manchester United. Hopefully, he can bring United back to where it belongs."

Asked whether Zlatan's age could count against him in the physically-demanding Premier League, Larsson replied: "No, I don’t think so. He’s a fit guy. He takes care of his body so that won’t be a problem.

"I hope everything goes well because United deserves it and he deserves every good thing that is happening to him. He’s Sweden’s biggest footballer ever and to see him join United, yes, it was a pleasure."

The current Helsingborgs manager was asked if he agrees with Jose Mourinho's assertion that playing in England will be Ibrahimovic's biggest challenge.

"Yes, it is a huge challenge," replied Larsson. "It’s one of the best leagues, if not the best league in the world, and it has a lot of players with quality. So you need to perform week in and week out.

"There are also the English cups to play in and you want to be able to do something in Europe as well so there are going to be a lot of games. But, as I said, he’s fit and he likes to train. You have got a great physical department at United as well so I’m sure everybody is going to make it happen in the best possible way for the club.

"What I remember of him, although it was a long time ago when we played, was that he used to train hard and train well. I expect he’s still doing that, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to play football at that level at that age."

Ibrahimovic admits he revered his older team-mate Larsson as a "god" when breaking into the international arena alongside him. Naturally, the former Celtic and Barcelona star played down his personal contribution in helping the raw youngster adapt to the big stage.

"We took care of all the new players when they came to the national team," he insisted. "That is what the other players did for me when I first came and is what we tried to do all the time. It’s common sense - when you want to achieve good things together, you need to be together. I made sure with the others that he felt welcome when he came in and I think that is the way it should be, especially when you’re playing in a team sport."

United's new signing is clearly a global icon with a huge following as his popularity transcends his native Sweden and even the clubs he plays for. For Larsson, this is a result of all the hard work his former colleague has put into his career as he looks to make a real impact in England.

"I think when a footballer has reached a certain level it’s not having somebody handing it to you but a question of work ethic from the player," added Larsson.

"He’s been working hard and that is why he has got all the success and all the adulation from fans all over the world. I think [following individual players] is the way society is going with all the different kinds of access to the players. You have the internet and social media of course, and everyone can watch football every day. It’s a lot easier to follow somebody's career now than it used to be."