Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on the "phenomenal" Zlatan Ibrahimovic following his goalscoring Premier League debut this afternoon.
The Swede scored his side's final goal in their 3-1 victory over Bournemouth as Mourinho got off to a winning start in the Premier League, with Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney having earlier found the net for the Red Devils.
Mourinho hailed Ibrahimovic's impact on both the Premier League and the young players at Manchester United, as well as hinting that politics was behind him continually missing out on the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"I think he can be phenomenal for the team and the Premier League. He's the profile of a player the Premier League has to be pleased to have," he told BBC Sport.
"The Golden Ball was there but it was always going to two guys with a better political entourage. It's incredible how this man never won the Golden Ball. But at this moment in his career, he wants to win the Premier League, not the Golden Ball.
"His table for meals is surrounded by kids - Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford. They are the guys with him at the table. He knows what he can be for them. Forget that he is 34, the body and the mentality is not of 34. He is at the top of his qualities."
Ibrahimovic has now scored on his debuts in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Barney Corkhill
