‘I don’t even know who he is’: Zlatan Ibrahimovic unimpressed with talk of Ralf Rangnick taking over AC Milan as star striker admits he won’t stay unless the club makes changes
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted it is unlikely he will remain at AC Milan
- The striker has been frustrated at the club’s direction since his return
- The 38-year-old claimed that he has been playing ‘purely for passion’
- He is out of contract in August and has not ruled out signing for a new club
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted it is unlikely he will remain at AC Milan next season unless there are significant changes at the club.
The striker returned to the San Siro as a free agent in January after leaving LA Galaxy but he has had clashes with chief executive Ivan Gazidis over the direction of the Serie A side.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport magazine Sportweek, which is released on Saturday, the 38-year-old outlined his frustrations and also dismissed talk of Ralf Rangnick taking charge of the club.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted it is ‘unlikely’ he will remain at AC Milan for next season
Former RB Leipzig manager Rangnick has been strongly linked with taking over at the club, either as manager or in a sporting director role. But Ibrahimovic did not seem impressed by the links, asking: ‘Who is Rangnick? I don’t even know who he is.’
When asked about his own future, he said: ‘Ibra plays to win something or he stays at home.
‘They told me that retiring in America was too easy, so I came back to Milan. I am here purely for passion, because I’m basically playing for free. Then this COVID situation stopped everything and I thought, maybe there’s something trying to tell me that I should retire.
‘Fortunately, we got back on the pitch. My calf managed to get involved too, but after two days I was ready to come back into the team. Ibra is like that. But they told me to take it slow.
The striker returned to the San Siro in January but has been frustrated by the club’s direction
‘Ibra was born to play football and is still the best at playing football. We’ll see how I feel in two months. We’ll also see what’s happening with the club. If this is the situation, to be honest, it’s unlikely you’ll see me at Milan next season.
‘Ibra is not a player for the Europa League and Milan are not a club who belong in the Europa League.’
Ibrahimovic clashed with Gazidis when the club chief attended training to inform players of pay cuts. The striker was angry at the timing of his appearance with the team due to face Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final two days later.
‘I spoke for me and for the team. I needed to have some explanations on the future, both mine and of Milan. I said that this is not the Grande Milan I once experienced, that is true, but we must do the best we can even in this situation. All the way to the end.
Ibrahimovic has clashed with Milan’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis over the situation of the club
‘Ibra is here, Ibra takes care of it. I have to be here or you’ll lose the fans. I don’t know if there will be another club after Milan, I never like to close doors to opportunities.
‘I will only go somewhere I have some control, not where words are worth nothing. I still have too much passion for what I do.’
The 38-year-old has not ruled out signing for another club if he decides to leave Milan
The forward was on target as Milan beat Juventus on Tuesday night and after the game he claimed the club could have won the title had he been there all season.
‘If I was here from the beginning of the season, we would have won the Scudetto,’ he said after the 4-2 win over Maurizio Sarri’s side.
‘I am president, coach and player, but they only pay me as a footballer.’