Jose Mourinho has suddenly found the secret formula to beating team full of high quality, big-impact stars who play at a higher level than his own side, just in time for a similar test against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Germany weren’t just shocked by Mexico on Sunday, they were just pipped by Galway too. And Roscommon.

"The men's national team's greatest scorer of all time has not returned and will not play."

Manchester United will not stand in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s way if he wants to leave Old Trafford, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

Manchester United will not stand in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s way if he wants to leave Old Trafford, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

Jose Mourinho has revealed striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be sidelined for a month.

West Brom 1 Man United 2: While Jose Mourinho has reiterated Manchester United will continue their fight for the Premier League title until the final weeks of the season, even the great master must be growing deeply envious of Manchester City’s magnificence.

Jose Mourinho is treating striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic with kid gloves by keeping the striker out of tonight’s Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow as Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City looms large, writes Rory Dollard.

A dilemma that has plagued Fantasy Premier League managers all season was finally put to rest this week.

Jose Mourinho expects Zlatan Ibrahimovic to complement rather than compete with Romelu Lukaku after welcoming the striker back to the Manchester United squad, along with Paul Pogba.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho expects to have Zlatan Ibrahimovic back fit before the end of the year.

Romelu Lukaku will have to cope with Manchester United’s relentless fixture schedule as Jose Mourinho cannot afford to rest him until Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns.

Manchester United are playing with the killer instinct they lacked last season but manager Jose Mourinho says he still wants more goals.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Michael Carrick have decisions to make on their careers next summer — the only players whose future Jose Mourinho does not believe Manchester United have under “control” beyond this season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been included in Manchester United's squad for the group stages of the Champions League.

In another of our occasional series ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey José’, let’s take a peek at substitution fetishisation. (Oo-er.) Now there’s a phrase you won’t be used to seeing, not least because I just invented it.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic could face a considerable battle for a starting spot when fit again but Jose Mourinho has stressed how important it will be for Manchester United to have the option of a striker he still regards as one of the world’s finest.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is keeping an open mind about when Zlatan Ibrahimovic might be available to make his return to action for the club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to “finish what I started” after the veteran Sweden striker turned down other offers to re-sign for Manchester United on a one-season deal.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to "finish what I started" after the veteran Sweden striker turned down other offers to re-sign for Manchester United on a one-season deal.

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has re-signed for Manchester United on a one-year deal.

Manchester City v Manchester United: With Paul Pogba added to Manchester United’s lengthening injury list for tonight’s derby at the Etihad Stadium, the continued unavailability of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones is a source of great frustration to manager Jose Mourinho.

Greetings from a sunny Paris — and thus not Turf Moor — where your correspondent is covering the French presidential election.

Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney, strikers at contrasting stages of their Manchester United careers, emerged from the shadow cast by the injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and invigorated their team’s hopes of an unlikely top-four Premier League finish.

Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United are “in trouble” after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo suffered nasty-looking injuries.

After a week of speculation around whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic would play both of Man United’s GW34 fixtures, we all got our answer in dramatic fashion last night.

This morning, many United fans will be experiencing a facial expression they had almost forgotten they could enjoy. Step towards the mirror, lads, and feast upon The Smug Grin.

Jose Mourinho believes ex-Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is the kind of "killer" that would turn games for a side boasting talented players that are not "in love with the goal".

Jose Mourinho believes ex-Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is the kind of “killer” that would turn games for a side with strikers that are not “in love with the goal”.

We’ve all seen some controversial points calls in FPL this season (mostly involving Gareth McAuley), but none matched ‘Navasgate’ for pure comedic farce.

United are now four points behind City in fourth.

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed the "Premier League are begging me to stay" amid reports that he has agreed to sign for Los Angeles Galaxy.

Manchester United 0 West Brom 0

So much for the great “let’s see if we’re better without Zlatan” experiment, then.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata is in danger of missing the rest of the season after undergoing groin surgery.

Just about five minutes in, David Meyler had gone in hard on Joe Allen and over 51,000 sets of eyeballs zeroed in on the Italian dressed in black.

With the Irish and Welsh choirs in full voice for a World Cup qualifier at a sold-out Aviva Stadium, it’s safe to predict that Lansdowne Road is going to be a noisy place tonight. 

Jose Mourinho believes he has matured and is therefore better able to "transmit his serenity" to the Manchester United players.

I understand it’s been a good-humoured week for many in Ireland, what with St Patrick’s Day, the rugby international, and the prospective break-up of the increasingly ludicrous United Kingdom.

Last week, we presciently noted here that “post-cup final matches are notorious for slumbering drop-offs in performance”, although one might at least argue that Saturday’s overall entertainment value was almost up to Wembley’s standards.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 26 goals this season and his decisive performance in the EFL Cup final have left Manchester United with a dilemma as they ponder how to keep their talisman at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season.

So much for ‘Alan Hardaker’s ginger stepson’, as I used to dub the unloved League Cup. Unloved by United, anyway. After yesterday’s gripping final, could we finally be said to be warming to this weird tri-handled pot?

JOSE Mourinho has found his new Didier Drogba. Even if Manchester United didn’t deserve this victory, on the balance of play, the dream now is that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has only just started his trophy collection at Old Trafford.

Manchester United 3 Southampton 2: THERE was a time, believe it or not, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was described as over-rated. The strutting martial arts enthusiast was labelled a flat-track bully who flattered to deceive on the big stage.

Usually during these cup breaks, the emotional state of your average Fantasy Premier League manager lies somewhere between quiet reflection to outright boredom. Not this time...

The Red Army are on proper full-scale excited manoeuvres week, via massed visits to Blackburn, St Etienne, and Wembley, with the scent of silverware in spring nostrils.

Man United 3 - St Etienne 0: Manchester United’s claim to be the only English team still in with a chance of winning four trophies this season — a bit of a stretch when it comes to the Premier League of course — is still technically intact after Zlatan Ibrahimovic underlined their hunger for silverware with a first-leg Europa League hat-trick against St Etienne.

Ander Herrera believes Manchester United's improvements will have their top-four rivals worried.