Jose Mourinho: 'Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return this year'

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will return from his long-term knee injury before the end of the year.

The 36-year-old has been sidelined with ligament damage since April and was initially released by the club at the end of his contract during the summer, although he has since penned fresh terms until the end of this season.

Reports today suggested that the Swede could be in line to make a shock return against Newcastle United this weekend, and Mourinho confirmed that he will be back before the turn of the year.

"He is a lion, he is a fighter. I think that is a good description of him, he has the anger all the time and that's the reason why he's almost coming back," he told Sky Sports News.

"As we expect, he's reduced the timing of his recovering and, as we were saying a few weeks ago, he will be back in 2017, which is a magnificent recovery."

Ibrahimovic was United's top scorer last season with 28 goals across all competitions.