15th March, 2023
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to return to international duty with Sweden after he was selected for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Belgium and Azerbaijan.
The AC Milan forward has missed the majority of the season after undergoing knee surgery at the end of the 2021/2022 season, following a Serie A title victory.
Despite only playing for slightly more than an hour in three games since his return this year, the 41-year-old has been named to Janne Andersson’s latest squad.
Speaking on his decision to bring the veteran in spite of questions over his fitness, the coach praised the forward’s influence off the pitch while stressing he would have a role to play on it.
“Zlatan and I have been in contact throughout the period up to and including his injury,” he said.
“Now he feels good enough that he can come into the squad. His personality and leadership qualities are good off the pitch, but the idea is for him to come and contribute to it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have picked him.”
Ibrahimovic’s last appearance for Sweden came almost a year ago when the country was eliminated by Poland in the FIFA World Cup play-offs for Qatar 2022.
Then, he was a substitute, and Andersson acknowledges he is likely to play a role from the bench again when called upon for their upcoming fixtures.
“I don’t see him as a starting player,” he added. “It will be more like what it has been for him in AC Milan, that there are opportunities for him to jump in.”
Andersson further underlined that Ibrahimovic’s selection would not be the final time he was called up in spite of his advanced age.
He said the ball was in the player’s court over his international future.
“If you are at the level where you can play for AC Milan, you are relevant. It is about his own attitude too in terms of whether he wants to continue or not. Zlatan is very eager and wants to contribute” the coach added.
With 121 games under his belt, Ibrahimovic is the sixth most-capped player in Sweden’s history. But he still has some way to go if he wants to take the all-time record of 148 caps from former midfielder Anders Svensson.
dpa/NAN