Zlatan Ibrahimovic hints he will play No10 when he returns for Manchester United after knee injury hell
Swedish striker has been sidelined for seven months with a cruciate knee ligament injury but could make the bench this weekend
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has hinted that he could move to the No10 role once he makes his comeback from injury.
The Swede's return to full training has sparked speculation that he could make the bench against Newcastle on Saturday following seven months on the sidelines with a cruciate knee ligament injury.
Question marks have been raised as to how boss Jose Mourinho will accommodate both £75million signing Romelu Lukaku and Ibrahimovic.
But it appears the veteran striker has the answer.
Speaking in a Volvo video, Ibrahimovic revealed: "To me, number 10 is the star.
"The one who makes the difference, gets noticed, wins the matches and is the leader.
"And I see myself in that position but it is not something that is given to you, it is just something you are, that's just the way it is.
"To be honest, it is like a trigger for me coming back from that injury. Because I wore the number 10 on the Swedish national team and PSG.
POGBACK Manchester United duo Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushing for place against Newcastle
"I would have worn it at Inter but I soon moved to Barcelona. I wanted it in Milan but took another number out of respect. In Ajax I didn't have it.
"I feel like a ten and I stand for number 10. It will go down in history that I always had number 10."
Ibra, 36, was initially released but Mourinho convinced him to return and his recovery has defied the odds.
He claims his career-threatening injury was never going make him hang up his boots.
He added: "The first thing I said to myself was that giving up was not an alternative.
"I have come this far and I will finish on my terms, not anyone else's. I will stop when I want, in the way that I want.
"Since then I've been in rehab training and I'm determined to return better and stronger than before.
"That is my goal and it will happen. There are no other options
"I was not going to let this injury stop me. The will to get better, wanting to do more, never giving up. Daring to take it to new levels where there are no limits."
Fellow striker Lukaku, who arrived in July, said: “Ibrahimovic coming back will help us chase Manchester City.”
The two clubs meet at Old Trafford on December 10.