With Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to MLS all but confirmed, Paul Mariner and Alexis Nunes reflect on his legacy at Man United and predict how his stay will unfold Stateside. (3:12)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played his last game for Manchester United ahead of a move to MLS, with sources telling ESPN FC the Swedish striker has signed a two-year contract with the LA Galaxy.
The Premier League club confirmed on Thursday they had agreed to immediately terminate Ibrahimovic's contract, which had been set to expire in June, after ESPN reported hours earlier that he was headed to MLS.
The Galaxy will pay Ibrahimovic $3 million total using targeted allocation money, sources confirmed. The 36-year-old will not be a designated player, with LA already using its three allotted slots for highly paid players on Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini.
The deal is expected to be announced by the end of the week, sources said. He could conceivably make his debut on March 31 in his new club's first-ever game against MLS expansion team LAFC, the Galaxy's new local rivals.
Ibrahimovic, who joined United from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in 2016, has not played since aggravating a knee injury against Burnley on Dec. 26.
And with less than four months remaining on his Old Trafford contract, sources told ESPN FC that United manager Jose Mourinho has allowed Ibrahimovic to leave now in order to move to MLS.
"Everyone at the club would like to thank Zlatan for his contribution to the team since his arrival and wishes him well for the future," a United statement read.
Ibrahimovic also posted a statement on Instagram, saying: "Great things also come to an end and it is time to move on after two fantastic seasons with Manchester United. Thank you to the club, the fans, the team, the coach, the staff and everybody who shared with me this part of my history."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images
The Galaxy deal ends nearly two years of discussions between MLS and Ibrahimovic's representatives to bring him to North America. Talks began in May 2016, before the Swede opted to join United, and ESPN reported in January that the Galaxy were inching closer to signing the striker.
ESPN first reported the news of Ibrahimovic's impending departure to MLS on a TAM deal on Thursday, and subsequently the Los Angeles Times reported that he had completed his contract with the Galaxy, and Sports Illustrated followed with the details of the contract.
Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for United, including two in the EFL Cup final win against Southampton last season.
However, United's £90 million purchase of Romelu Lukaku last summer pushed Ibrahimovic to the sidelines at Old Trafford, and though he is now set to call time on his Premier League career, he is determined to continue his career after returning from a serious knee injury at United earlier this season.
Ibrahimovic has recently returned to full training with United, but he told Reuters last week that he did not want to rush his comeback, insisting he would not return until he is "ready to perform."
Despite ending his international career for Sweden in 2016, Ibrahimovic said earlier this month that he has not ruled out returning to play at the World Cup in Russia this summer.
ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.
Striker Swedia ini resmi meninggalkan Manchester United dan kabarnya telah menjalin kontak dengan klub MLS. OLEH YUDHA DANUJATMIKA Ikuti di twitter Manchester United telah mengumumkan pemutusan kontrak Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Striker Swedia itu kini berstatus bebas transfer dan diyakini sedang mendekat ke MLS.
Eks pemain Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, dan Barcelona itu merapat ke Old Trafford di 2016. Musim debutnya amat bagus, mencetak 28 gol dari total 46 pertandingan.
Adapun ia mengalami cedera lutut serius pada April 2017. Meski sudah kembali bermain, ia gagal menampilkan performa terbaiknya dan United mengakhiri kontraknya. Terkait
"Manchester United mengonfirmasi bahwa tim telah sepakat untuk mengakhiri kontra Zlatan Ibrahimovic dengan efek langsung. Semua orang di klub berterima kasih pada kontribusi Zlatan terhadap tim dan mengharapkan sukses ke depannya," tulis pernyataan resmi klub.
Kabarnya, Zlatan sudah menjalin kontak dengan Los Angeles Galaxy. Mantan bintang Juventus dan Inter Milan itu hanya tinggal selangkah lagi merapat ke klub MLS tersebut.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for Manchester United
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to join Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy after leaving Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals in 53 games for United, who have agreed to an early termination of his contact, which was due to expire in the summer.
The 36-year-old former Sweden striker has played only seven times since damaging cruciate ligaments in April.
"It is time to move on after two fantastic seasons with Manchester United," he wrote on Instagram.
"Great things also come to an end. Thank you to the club, the fans, the team, the coach, the staff and everybody who shared with me this part of my history."
Announcing his departure, United said: "Everyone at the club would like to thank Zlatan for his contribution to the team since his arrival and wishes him well for the future."
Ibrahimovic posted this picture on Instagram after Manchester United announced his departure
Ibrahimovic joined the Premier League club from Paris St-German in 2016.
Earlier this month, United manager Jose Mourinho had said the striker was likely to leave at the end of the season.
The Swede, who re-signed for United on a one-year deal in August, returned to action in November after the knee injury that curtailed his first season at Old Trafford.
But he has not featured since the Premier League draw against Burnley on 26 December.
It has also been suggested he could come out of international retirement for Sweden at this summer's World Cup.
Manchester - Berakhir sudah perjalanan Zlatan Ibrahimovic bersama Manchester United. Melalui situs resmi klub, Ibrahimovic diputus kontraknya pada Kamis (22/3/2018).
"Manchester United mengonfirmasi menyetujui pemutusan kontrak Zlatan Ibrahimovic secepatnya," sebut pernyataan resmi klub.
"Semua orang di klub berterima kasih kepada Zlatan untuk kontribusinya sejak datang dan berharap dia bisa sukses pada masa mendatang," lanjut pernyataan Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic bergabung ke Manchester United pada 1 Juni 2016 secara gratis. Pada musim pertamanya, Ibrahimovic mempersembahkan tiga gelar untuk Manchester United.
Sebelum musim 2016-2017 berakhir, Ibrahimovic mengalami cedera ligamen lutut yang mengharuskannya beristirahat lama. Hal itu yang membuatnya kehilangan tempat sebagai striker utama The Red Devils pada musim 2017-2018.
Pada musim ini, Ibrahimovic baru tampil dalam tujuh pertandingan Manchester United di berbagai ajang. Dia hanya mencetak satu gol, terpaut jauh dari catatan 28 gol pada musim sebelumnya.
Saksikan cuplikan pertandingan dari Liga Inggris, La Liga, Liga Champions, dan Liga Europa dengan kualitas HD di sini: Zlatan Ibrahimovic dan Manchester United Resmi Berpisah
