Van Der Hoorn Eyes Ibrahimovic Reunion

Swansea City defender Mike van der Hoorn insists he is ready for his reunion with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The pair met in the Champions League two years ago when Ajax faced Paris St German and Ibrahimovic grabbed a goal in a 3-1 win for the French side.

As the struggling Swans face out of form Manchester United, van der Hoorn is hoping to keep him shackled.

"He's impressive, I think he's the strongest player in the Premier League," said the Dutch defender, 24.

"Zlatan is a guy of the moment. Sometimes you don't see him all match, but then he is there and finishes it.

"We [Ajax] played quite well against PSG, but suddenly he just finished, into the far corner, it was like, 'how can he do that?' That's how he is, just one moment. I thought I had a good game against him, but that is the kind of player he is, he can just finish you off."

Following his move to Old Trafford, Ibrahimovic scored five goals in his first five games for the club but the striker has not scored in his last six games for Manchester United.

United arrive in Wales off the back of a Europa League defeat in Turkey to Fenerbahce and are without a win in four Premier League games.

Van der Hoorn warned that 35-year-old Ibrahimovic will still have to be very closely watched at the Liberty Stadium.

"At the moment he is not quite there with the finishing" van der Hoorn continued.

"It is a surprise he has not scored, a guy with his quality can score every match. When he doesn't he gets a little bit of criticism, that's how he is now, but he is always a player to watch."

The Swans are mired in the relegation places with 10 games played and will hope not to be cut adrift as the season progresses.

Van der Hoorn, who was signed by former Swans boss Francesco Guidolin from Ajax in the summer, believes three points against United could well kick-start his side's season.

"We know it's going to be a tough game, but you have to keep believing you will get a result," the centre-back added.

"If you have confidence you play more freely. We have to be confident. This is new for me, for a lot of players. The season is not over yet so I hope we can get out of it.

"Sometimes we have to win. That is the key. If you can win against a top team like Manchester United you get that confidence."

Credit: BBC Sport