Stefano Pioli believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to continue playing, although he seems far from returning to action.
The Swede has been forced to the sidelines since January 23 due to an Achilles tendon injury sustained in a home Serie A clash against Juventus. His contract with the Serie A giants expires at the end of the season and there are doubts regaarding his stay at the club, especially because of his physical issues over the last months.
During his pre-match press conference, Pioli was asked whether he’d renew the Swede’s contract in June.
“First of all, it’s important to know what Ibra thinks,” the coach said.
“For the way that I know him, I think he wants to keep playing. His condition is improving, maybe slower than we thought, but he’s doing better. Tomorrow he will return to the pitch. He trained apart from the group these days and ran on the sand.”
Read Pioli’s press conference before Milan-Udinese here.
This story is already contained in the previous story about what Pioli said…
Don’t prolong the inevitable…. Do not renews in a player’s capacity. If he wants to stick around, make him part of coaching staff and find a reliable alternative on the pitch that’s not Lazetic.
I would extend Zlatan’s contract for another season, but on less money and linked to the amount of games he can play. He would still score goals, that I am sure of, plus his mentality has boosted the approach of our younger players. He can still be useful from a playing and psychological standpoint.