"If he's motivated" he will "recover" and return to his "standard level" - Prof. Mariani about Ibrahimovic's latest calf injury

Swedish professional striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Plays for Italian Serie A outfit AC Milan. Ibrahimovic injured his calf during training recently. Photo: Getty

Professor Pier Paolo Mariani has claimed Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic can come back from his latest injury setback: “If he is motivated and has the will to recover.”


The former Sweden international will undergo tests today, after suffering an injury to the calf during training with the Rossoneri yesterday.

Reports in Italy fear that the 38-year-old might have damaged the Achilles tendon and could be forced to stop for a longer period, but Mariani, who has seen a host of footballing injuries, has claimed the veteran can return to his ‘usual level’.

“I can’t talk about things I don’t know,” Mariani told Il Corriere dello Sport. “I’ll just say that a champion like Ibrahimovic can definitely start expressing himself on the level he is used to.

“It depends on many factors. Certainly, at 38 or 39 years of age, it can depend on the psychological factors of the athlete. If he’s motivated, if he has the will to recover after a long period out, nothing can prevent him from returning to his standard level.”
Football-Italia