ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC JOSE MOURINHO CHRIS SMALLING EUROPA LEAGUE WAYNE ROONEY MANCHESTER UNITED FC PREMIER LEAGUE Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Man Utd need ruthless streak to qualify for top four Zlatan Ibrahimovic has called on United to finish their chances CREDIT: REX FEATURES By Luke Edwards 9 DECEMBER 2016 • 10:30PM latan Ibrahimovic has that warned Manchester United must rediscover their ruthless streak if they are going to have any hope of challenging for a top-four place as manager Jose Mourinho admits he is worried about the lack of goals from Wayne Rooney.
Rooney, who is just two short of surpassing Bobby Charlton’s United goalscoring record, has scored just once in the league this season , against Bournemouth on the opening day.
Although Mourinho stressed that all of his attacking players have been guilty of squandering chances, he expects more from the England captain.
United secured their place in the last 32 of the Europa League with an efficient 2-0 away win over Zorya on Thursday, but have been far less clinical in the Premier League, a failing that has caused them to draw too many games they should have won.
This means Mourinho’s side are already nine points adrift of a Champions League place heading into this weekend’s tantalising clash with fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and could drop to 11 if they lose on Sunday. Reset Who should Jose pick to play Spurs?
Neither the Portuguese, nor his players, would discuss whether a failure to beat Spurs would effectively end United’s hopes of a top-four finish, but after just one win in eight in the league, they cannot afford to lose more ground on the teams challenging for the top four. Ibrahimovic, though, is hoping the victory in Ukraine, where he scored a nerve-settling second goal after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had given United the lead, is a positive sign of things to come as they look to stabilise a shaky league campaign.
“We have created many chances and sometimes you can win 1-0,” said Ibrahimovic, who scored his 13 goal of the season against Zorya. “But I think we have learned now that we have to score more than one goal to make sure we get the three points.