Swansea City defender Mike van der Hoorn insists he has learned his lesson ahead of a re-match with Zlatan Ibrahimovich.
Dutch centre-back van der Hoorn takes on the Manchester United striker on Sunday, two years since he lost their last battle.
That was in the Champions League when a then rampant Ibrahimovic scored for Paris Saint Germain in a 3-1 win over Ajax.
Van der Hoorn was a rookie 22-year-old and admits: “We played quite well and then, suddenly, Ibrahimovic just finishes in the far corner – a goal out of nothing and you’re thinking ‘how can he do that?’
“Overall, our trainer was satisfied with my performance. I won all my duels, but the one duel when I was just stood off behind him, he finishes you off.”
Those must feel like long gone halcyon days for Ibrahimovic, much like his scoring splurge when he first joined United this summer.
After scoring four goals in his first four Premier League games, the big Z has snoozed through his last six without finding the net.
Four goals in 10 matches is the kind of human frailty the 35-year-old Swede has not suffered for 10 years, when he last had such a low goals-to-game ratio during his time with Juventus.
Not that Van der Hoorn – attempting to shore up a porous Swansea defence that has leaked 11 goals in five games – is expecting an easy afternoon.
“I think Ibrahimovic is the strongest player in the Premier League. Besides that he’s good technically.
“He’s a guy of the moment – sometimes you don’t see him for the whole match, but suddenly he’s there and he finishes it.
“At present, maybe he’s not quite as good with his finishing, but with his kind of quality every game he can win it.
“A guy with his quality can score every match and when he doesn’t, he gets a little bit of criticism. That’s how it is now. But he’s always a player you have to watch.”
Van der Hoorn played in the same Ajax side as United defender Daley Blind and was also a Holland U21 teammate of United’s out of favour striker Memphis Depay.
He is surprised at £25m Depay’s lack of impact at Old Trafford and says the 22-year-old’s liking for shiny cars and shinier jewelry was not a problem in his PSV Eindhoven days because Depay also then glittered on the field.
“Like Zlatan, he can have one moment and can burst through you and shoot on goal and score.
“He was playing so well at PSV that nobody cared what he did off the field and that’s how it goes.
“If you have a bad season and you still have his mentality then people will look into you. If you play amazing at Manchester United then no one wants to know his private life. It’s a bit of a pity.”
Van der Hoorn knows the time for struggling Swansea to add to their solitary win on the opening day of the season is long overdue.
The club have taken just a point in three games under new boss Bob Bradley and Van der Hoorn admits: “I don’t want to add any pressure to us, but sometimes you just have to win and that’s the key.
“When you win, you get confidence, especially against a top club like Manchester United and then we will turn things around.
“This is new for me. I won one title with Ajax and one Super Cup. For a lot of players it’s new but the season isn’t over yet, so I hope we can get out before Christmas to have a nice Christmas.
“You have to change your mentality and see 16th place, out of the relegation zone, as a title in itself.”
