'Man Utd had small, closed mentality – they made me pay £1 for a fruit juice'

Zlatan Ibrahimovic recalled former club 's “small mentality” after they charged him for fruit juice whilst on an away trip.

The 43-year-old Swede, , arrived on English soil after a and didn’t disappoint during his time in the .

In his from 2016 to 2018, where he reportedly earned around £200,000-a-week, Ibrahimovic’s 29 goals in 53 games and League Cup double, as well as a Community Shield.

Yet, when reflecting upon his time in England’s top-flight, at what many consider one of the largest clubs in the country, Ibrahimovic was quite scathing. He cited an incident where he was charged £1 for fruit juice as indicative of United’s culture.

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In his 2021 autobiography Adrenaline, the Swedish marksman wrote: “One thing surprised me: everyone thinks of United as a top club, one of the richest and most powerful in the and seen from the outside, it looked that way to me.

“But once I was there I found a small, closed mentality. One day I was in the hotel with the team before a game. I got thirsty, so I opened the mini-bar and had a fruit juice.

“We played and then went home. Some time went by. My pay slip arrives. Normally I don’t look at it. I only do so at the end of the year to see what’s come in and what’s gone out. But that time, I don’t know why, I was curious and realised they’d taken a pound off my monthly wage.

“I called the team manager: ‘Excuse me, why have they taken a pound off my salary?’ The team manager had a look and told me: ‘It was the fruit juice from the mini-bar.’ ‘Are you kidding, seriously?’

“‘No, I’m not. Here, if you order something, you have to pay for it.’ ‘Sure, but I didn’t go to the hotel on my own accord. I wasn’t on holiday. It was my work place. I was there for Manchester. If I have to play and I'm thirsty, I have to drink. I can’t go on the pitch dehydrated.’

“Can you believe it? A quid? Something like that would never happen in Italy. These are the details that make a difference and earn the respect of the players.”

Ibrahimovic, who turned 43 years old today (October 3), had his best playing days in Serie A, where his time with , AC Milan and Inter saw him lift five Scudetto's aloft.

“Every day I was asked to show my papers just to get into the training ground,” Ibrahimovic continued on his scathing evaluation of United.

“I’d lower my window and say to the person at the gate: ‘Listen my friend I’ve been coming here every day for a month. I’m the best player in the world. If you still don't recognise me, you’re in the wrong job’.”

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