Jesse Values Zlatan's Support

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already shown his class on the pitch for Manchester United but he’s quickly become an invaluable figure off it, according to team-mate Jesse Lingard.

In typically flamboyant and confident style, Ibrahimovic has bagged five goals in his first nine appearances for the Reds but, for Lingard, the 34-year-old striker’s nurturing and leadership qualities are just as important to the squad.

"He’s been a leader for the team, especially when the captain’s not playing; he’s stepped up and he’s really led the team," Lingard told reporters on Wednesday.

"The young lads look up to him and most of the older lads do as well. We’ve seen what he’s done in his career and obviously he wants to win trophies for United as well.

"He helps the young lads a lot; he’s taught us, especially me, Marcus [Rashford], Paul Pogba and [Tim-Fosu] Mensah, and helped us through the games. If we’re going through a sticky patch, he’s always there for us and is always there for the team."

United manager Jose Mourinho has already confirmed Ibrahimovic will start Thursday’s Europa League clash against Zorya Luhansk and Lingard will also hope to be involved as the Reds target a first win in Group A, following Saturday’s confidence-boosting Premier League victory over champions Leicester City.

"We’ve done our research, we’ve watched videos on Zorya and we’ll be well prepared," Lingard told MUTV. "But first and foremost we think about us, our performance and our winning mentality.

"We need to get the three points but we know it’s going to be a difficult game. Hopefully we can perform like we did against Leicester."