A former Manchester United player once ruined the club’s transfer announcement worth a reported £5m and even risked the move being cancelled.
Manchester United have already signed Matheus Cunha this summer, while they’ve also seen bids for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo rejected, as Ruben Amorim looks to improve his squad following a torrid 2024/25 campaign in which United finished 15th in the Premier League and lost 1-0 in the Europa League final against Spurs.
And when Cunha, 26, signed, the usual drill followed. Several high-quality images were posted to social media by the club alongside a relatively predictable interview, stating how thrilled he was to have finally made his “dream come true”, was released.
However, such PR plans do not always go as planned.
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Back in 2016, defender Eric Bailly, winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan and midfielder Paul Pogba all joined United with Jose Mourinho replacing Louis van Gaal as manager of the Red Devils.
But the arrival of Swedish icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic was met with the most anticipation at Old Trafford.
The eccentric former forward joined from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, having previously played for clubs such as Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter, and Juventus.
However, the deal was almost ‘cancelled’ when Zlatan announced his move to United without prior approval of the football club, which had yet to announce the news on their official channels.
In his 2021 book, ‘Adrenaline: My Untold Stories,’ the Swede explained: “I'm going to go on Instagram and write, 'My next club will be Manchester United.
"I was so tired of the negotiations that I didn't think Manchester [United] was listed on the stock exchange.
"You may not make similar announcements if the matter is not clear. All hell broke loose. Mino [Raiola] wanted to kill me."
Ibrahimovic added: "It's just my fault, Mino Raiola had nothing to do with it. I lost my patience, that’s all.
“It felt like I was standing in quicksand, trying to do something to take me forward, without thinking about the consequences.
"If the deal goes down now, then that's it, we'll let it go. I'm the one who did the wrong thing. I apologise once again."
He explained how the then-United chief executive Ed Woodward, messaged him furiously.
When asked about the messages he received from Woodward, Zlatan claimed: “You've ruined a £5 million PR plan. They had planned a surprise campaign and a presentation with special effects a la Hollywood. And I ruined everything with an update on social media.”
Zlatan went on to make 53 appearances for Man United, registering 29 goals and ten assists, which helped the Red Devils win the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League.
Topics: Manchester United, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Transfer News, Football, Premier League, Jose Mourinho
Luke Davies