Zlatan Ibrahimovic is champion but we’ll discuss his future at end of season, confirms Frederic Massara
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out of contract with AC Milan at the end of this season
|Twtter
AC Milan’s director of football Frederic Massara has admitted that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s has transformed the club but the Swede’s future will only be discussed at the end of the season. The striker has made an instant impact on his return to Italy, playing a key role in the Rossoneri’s fortunes.
The 38-year-old arrived as a free-transfer in January and made an instant impact for his former side with four goals in ten appearances before the season was suspended. However, after picking up a calf injury in training last month, there have been questions asked over Ibrahimovic’s future at the club with many believing that he doesn’t deserve a big money contract at his age. The Swede, at 38, is towards the end of his career and reports indicate that the former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker could struggle to handle a full season.
It has seen questions asked over whether the Swede deserves an extension to his six month contract and Frederic Massara admitted that no decision will be made until the end of the season. The AC Milan director of football praised the veteran striker’s talent and work ethic and also admitted the impact he has made on the Rossoneri but asserted that discussions will only take place at the end of the season.
"Ibrahimovic is a champion. The team improved a great deal with his arrival but, come the end of the season, we need to sit down and discuss the situation, including his own state of mind. He wanted to help Milan during a difficult time for the club. It goes without saying that any team is improved by having Ibrahimovic in it as he is a phenomenal player," Massara told Sky Sport Italia.
The Rossoneri have struggled over the last few years after they were banned from European football this season despite qualifying for the Europa League after they were found guilty of violating UEFA’s financial fair play rules. However, things could change in the near future as Massara admitted that a return to playing European football is one of the club’s main goals although that could be harder than imagined with Milan seventh in the table.
“Milan cannot stay outside Europe for long, so qualification is absolutely a primary objective for us. Our united idea is to get Milan back to the top of Italian and European football. There are some parameters we need to stay within, but we don’t want to give up on being competitive," he added.
