Sergio Romero recalls sharing a dressing-room with Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Sergio Romero has recalled what it was like sharing the dressing-room with Zlatan Ibrahimovic – the pair were at Manchester United together for 18 months between 2016 and 2018.

Romero, who was released by Manchester United earlier this year after falling out of favour at the club, was signed as a free agent by Louis van Gaal in 2015 and enjoyed a successful six-year spell as the backup to David de Gea.

Romero boasted an impressive record in cup tournaments and never looked out of place when De Gea was unavailable, with some even calling for the Argentinian to become the first-choice stopper at times.

Ibrahimovic’s 18-month spell at United was filled with ups and downs but in large, the period will be fondly remembered by large sections of the United support. The two trophies, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League in 2017, won that season are still the last triumphs the club has had.

“Ibra is a true champion, for all that this word means,” Romero told Gazzetta dello Sport, via the Manchester Evening News.

“At United, we challenged each other in the shots on goal, as well as free-kicks: he always had something right to say to his teammates, to make his mentality understood and conveyed.

“He always told us that the intensity and desire we put into training we’d then find it in the match. One day we even fought a little but afterwards, he came to me and said: ‘This is what I want from you and from the others, you have South American blood and you understand faster. You will see that at the end of the season we will win something’. He was right.”

Read more: Back to 4-2-3-1, Greenwood starts: predicted Man Utd line-up vs Man City

SN’s verdict on Romero’s comments and Ibrahimovic’s stint at United…
The latest comments on Ibrahimovic’s mentality won’t come as a surprise to anyone. Following Louis van Gaal’s dire two-year spell as United manager, spirits were low and quite frankly, the squad was not up to it.

Ibrahimovic’s arrival helped lift the entire club and despite a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, two trophies marked a successful first campaign for Jose Mourinho and he has the giant Swede to thank for much of it.

Five years later, he is still scoring the goals with AC Milan in Serie A, a testament to his incredible commitment to the profession. Should he return to Old Trafford on an opposing side, he is sure to receive a warm reception from the home crowd.

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