Ibrahimovic confirms he is joining Manchester United

Sweden captain Ibrahimovic applauds supporters after his national side exited Euro 2016. PHOTO BY AFP

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he is joining Premiership side Manchester United, ending intense speculation about where the 34-year-old Swedish forward will be playing next season.

London.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said that he is joining Manchester United, ending intense speculation about where the 34-year-old Swedish superstar forward will be playing next season.

Ibrahimovic, who was a free agent after ending a hugely successful stay at Paris Saint-Germain, becomes the second signing of new United boss Jose Mourinho after that of highly rated Ivory Coast centre-back Eric Bailly from the Spanish outfit Villarreal.

“Time to let the world know. My next destination is Manchester United,” he wrote on Instagram and Facebook, complete with a picture of the United badge, as comments approving of the move flooded in in response. Ibrahimovic reunites with Mourinho, after they enjoyed a good relationship while together at Italians Inter Milan.

The Swede had toyed with questioners for weeks about where he would be going and it will be his first time playing in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic, who quit international football after Sweden crashed out of Euro 2016, has also played at Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan during a career in which he has become as well known for his colourful personality as his prowess in front of goal. He had also been linked with a return to AC Milan and his agent had suggested that Major League Soccer in the United States was another potential destination.

Ibrahimovic said weeks ago that he knew where he would be playing football next season, but kept the football world guessing -- typical of his mercurial personality. “Yes, I have made my choice,” Ibrahimovic told a press conference at a training camp near Stockholm for the Swedish national team ahead of Euro 2016.

He said then that he had decided “long ago” but dodged all questions about whether that team was Man United, where Mourinho has replaced Louis van Gaal after the Dutchman’s troubled two-year reign at Old Trafford came to a bitter end.