Ibrahimovic: Milan deal? There's no rush

By Sports Desk March 21, 2021

Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic insisted there is no rush over a new deal at San Siro after inspiring the Scudetto hopefuls in Serie A on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic was on target as Milan kept their title hopes alive with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Fiorentina.

The 39-year-old – who has rejuvenated Milan since returning in January 2020 – is out of contract at the end of the season and the evergreen forward is yet to extend his deal.

Asked about his future post-game in Florence, Ibrahimovic told Sky Sport Italia: "I want to see what I do on the pitch and prove that I deserve a renewal!

"It's all under control, we have a good rapport and we'll see what happens. There's no rush."

Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in the ninth minute before two unanswered goals from Erick Pulgar and Frank Ribery put Fiorentina 2-1 ahead six minutes into the second half.

Milan hit back through Brahim Diaz and Hakan Calhanoglu to move within six points of leaders and city rivals Inter, who have a game in hand.

Aged 39 years and 169 days, Ibrahimovic became the oldest player in Serie A history to score 15 goals in a single season.

Ibrahimovic is also the first Milan player to score 15-plus goals in his first 15 appearances in a single Serie A season in the three points per win era (since 1994-95), while he is the fifth foreigner to do so since 1994-95.

"No, let's not talk about my age! I feel like Benjamin Button, the more time goes on, the more I feel young," said Ibrahimovic, who has 17 goals across all competitions this season.

Milan returned to winning ways following their Europa League last-16 exit at the hands of Manchester United on Thursday, and Ibrahimovic – who is back in the Sweden national team after retiring in 2016 – added: "After a defeat and going out of the Europa League, now we have the Scudetto to fight for. A comeback like this was very important.

"We had spirit, mentality, we were 2-1 down, but we wanted to win at all costs. We showed the character of this team and we must continue like this.

"I am taking on my responsibility to help this team any way I can, on and off the field. The team reacted well, this is an intense period of the season and now some have a break. Some don't."

Related items

  • Object thrown at City striker 'Bunny' Shaw in Champions League win over Hammarby sparks UEFA investigation Object thrown at City striker 'Bunny' Shaw in Champions League win over Hammarby sparks UEFA investigation

    UEFA has opened an investigation after Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw was hit by an object during their Women’s Champions League win against Swedish side Hammarby on Thursday.

    The towering Jamaican striker scored both goals in City’s 2-1 win at the Stockholm Arena to see her side through to the quarterfinal stage.

    Her animated celebration in front of the home fans after her first goal saw the 27-year-old being booked, with replays also showing an object seemingly thrown her way from the stands.

    “Proceedings have been opened against Hammarby IF for throwing of objects (Article 16(2)(b) of the Disciplinary Regulations),” UEFA said in a statement.

    “Manchester City player Khadija Shaw received a yellow card following her goal presentation for unsporting conduct,” the statement added.

    Following the game, City captain Alex Greenwood chided match broadcaster DAZN for failing to mention the incident in a social media post.

    The post on X, external said Shaw “antagonised” the home fans and received “stick” from them.

    Greenwood replied, "Correction. Travel to Stockholm, score a big goal. Celebrates her goal. Gets objects thrown at her.”

  • Flick: Barcelona need to learn how to win without Yamal Flick: Barcelona need to learn how to win without Yamal

    Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona to find a way to win without the absent Lamine Yamal, as he misses a second consecutive match with an ankle injury.

    The 17-year-old missed their 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad which halted Barca's seven-match winning streak in all competitions before the international break.

    Yamal has only missed two LaLiga matches since the start of last season, while Barcelona have lost both games this campaign in which he has not started, after coming off the bench in a 4-2 loss to Osasuna in September.

    Flick said that his players need to show that they can win without their teenage sensation.

    "Tomorrow I will put the question to the team, it will be a very good question for them [if they can win without Yamal]," Flick told a press conference on Friday.

    "Against Real Sociedad, we didn't play well, and it wasn't because of Lamine's absence. He is a very important player for us, but we have options to also play well without him.

    "He won't be able to play tomorrow, we don't know when he will be able to go back from his injury, but what is clear for me is that we want him to be back only when he is 100% recovered."

    Yamal played a big role in Spain's European Championship title win earlier this year in Germany, winning the best goal and the Young Player of the Tournament award in his breakthrough campaign.

    He continued to thrive this season with five goals and seven assists to help Barca to the top of the LaLiga standings on 33 points, six ahead of rivals Real Madrid, who have a game in hand in second place.

    Yamal is also the only player across Europe's big five leagues to complete 25+ dribbles (34), create 25+ chances (26), have 25+ shots (39), score 5+ goals (five) and provide 5+ assists (seven).

    Flick suggested that he may have to adjust his system, as it is hard to replace a player with such a mixture of speed, technique and finishing.

    "We might be a bit limited by the absence of Lamine," Flick said.

    "But we have a lot of players with great quality, and they can play in different positions. We'll see what we'll need and we'll design the game plan.

    "It's always important after the international break to come back strong and with confidence. That's our goal for tomorrow."

  • Moca FC's  Baez, Correa sanctioned by Concacaf Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in Carib Cup semis clash against Cavalier Moca FC's Baez, Correa sanctioned by Concacaf Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in Carib Cup semis clash against Cavalier

    The Concacaf Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned players Miguel Baez and Jesus Correa of Dominican Republic club Moca FC for incidents that occurred during their Concacaf Caribbean Cup second-leg semi-final match against Jamaica’s Cavalier FC on Thursday, October 30. 

    After considering the documentation and evidence gathered during its investigation and based on the competition regulations and the applicable disciplinary code, the Disciplinary Committee has imposed Miguel Baez a six-match suspension and Jesus Correa a three-match suspension for violent conduct.

    The sanctions include the automatic one-match suspension for the on-field direct red cards given to each player during that 7-0 beating in Kingston.

    Both Baez and Correa must serve their suspensions during the upcoming 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup third-place matches and future editions of the competition. 

    Moca FC is scheduled to meet Haiti's Real Hope FC in that home-and-away tie on November 26 and December 3 to determine the next Caribbean representative that will contest next year's Concacaf Champions Cup. Finalists Cavalier and Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic, have secured automatic berths.

    Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Committee has also warned the players and the club that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during future matches.

     

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.