Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has distanced himself from making a comparison between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and club legend, Eric Cantona, after easing past Bournemouth 3-1 at Dean Court.
The giant Swede has taken English football by storm, making headlines after inspiring his team to victory twice in a week, feeding optimism for the club’s global fanbase. His phenomenal record of scoring on debut continued, too, after lashing home United’s third to effectively kill the contest on the opening weekend.
Since leaving Paris Saint Germain, speculation heavily linked the 34-year-old to England, and comparisons linking the past and present kings of Manchester were never far away.
When asked if the two were similar, Mourinho told BBC Sport: “Different times, different ages. Eric Cantona was here at the best moment in his career. This guy [Zlatan] is more than a player. For the next two seasons I think he can be phenomenal for the team and the Premier League.”
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The Frenchman signed for Manchester United for a fee of £1.2 million in 1992 and scored 82 goals in 185 appearances. His signing coincided with the highly famed Class of 92′, which saw the likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and David Beckham burst onto the English football scene.
Cantona was the figurehead of Sir Alex Ferguson’s first truly consistent and successful team, and the target man eventually led United to four Premier League titles, as well as two FA Cups before departing in 1997.
Manchester United next Premier League fixture is against Southampton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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