Mourinho knew Ibrahimovic would be 'massive' for United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho never doubted Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have a "massive" impact this season.

The Swede continued his goalscoring ways on Sunday, coming off the bench to secure a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.

Ibrahimovic has scored five goals in his past four games in all competitions and took his tally to 24 for the season.

The 35-year-old arrived at Old Trafford with several question marks, but Mourinho said he knew what the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker would produce.

"I don't know the number of goals [Ibrahimovic has scored], I don't know," he told a news conference.

"I knew that he would be a very important player for us. I knew that for sure.

"One more goal, one less goal, but I knew that the contribution would be massive for us."

See more

Ibrahimovic's 75th-minute winner came after Marcus Rashford had cancelled out Danny Graham's opener for the hosts at Ewood Park.

United's win saw them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they were drawn to face Chelsea.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1