"Manchester United" defender Juan Mata admitted that he would gladly play next season with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Mata himself recently hinted that he would like to test himself in the Premier League, but would he fit in at Old Trafford? And could he play at the same time as United's captain Wayne Rooney? In this article, we will take a closer look at the forwards, compare their statistics and achievements, and assess whether they could collaborate at Manchester United, as written on the Lithuanian website manutd.lt. Goals While W. Rooney spent his entire career in the Premier League, Z. Ibrahimovic can proudly call himself a wanderer, having played in five different European leagues. However, this did not diminish the Swede's goal-scoring record. He scored 291 goals in 478 matches in Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and France. Meanwhile, W. Rooney scored 192 goals in 429 matches for Everton and United. So, we see that Ibrahimovic averages 0.6 goals per match, while Rooney averages 2.2 matches. Current PSG forward also outperforms the Englishman in the Champions League, where he scored 47 goals in 117 matches, while Rooney has 30 goals in 85 matches. Titles During his European journey, Ibrahimovic won 11 league titles in five different leagues. He triumphed twice in the Eredivisie with Ajax, three times in Serie A with Inter and once with AC Milan, while representing Barcelona in La Liga and winning four Ligue 1 titles with PSG. Ibrahimovic also has two additional Serie A titles with Juventus (2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons), but it was during these years that the Italian football world was shaken by match-fixing scandals. Comparisons of Titles Zlatan Ibrahimovic Wayne Rooney 11 National Championships 5 4 National Cups (e.g. FA Cup) 2 0 Champions League 1 11 Others 4 28 Total 12 Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney can boast of five Premier League trophies. In addition to the above titles, Ibrahimovic has won the Dutch Cup, Dutch Super Cup, three Italian Super Cups, two Spanish Super Cups, three French Super Cups, two French League Cups, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup while playing for Barcelona. United's striker has won two League Cups, three Community Shield awards, and the FIFA Club World Cup with the Red Devils. However, Rooney has something Ibrahimovic doesn't - Champions League trophies. The Englishman won the prestigious European title in 2008, while the Swede has never played in a Champions League final. Sporting Form While 34-year-old Ibrahimovic insists he is playing the best football of his career, 30-year-old Rooney is on his way to the lowest goal-scoring tally in the Premier League for United. Rooney's form has been declining, but he was further plagued by an injury suffered last month. The England captain faces the real threat of not reaching double figures in Premier League goals for the first time since his arrival at Manchester. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic is preparing for the next Champions League challenge with PSG, where they will face Manchester City in the quarter-finals. The Parisian team also secured the Ligue 1 title in record time and is on course for a second consecutive treble in France. Ibrahimovic has scored 35 goals in 40 matches for PSG this season, while Rooney's numbers are much lower - 14 goals in 32 matches. This summer, Ibrahimovic will lead the Swedish national team at Euro 2016, while Rooney is uncertain about his place in the England squad given the impressive performances of Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, and Daniel Sturridge this season. So, can they play together? Ibrahimovic has previously expressed interest in forming that duo. Speaking in a documentary film "Wayne Rooney - The Man Behind The Goals" last year, Ibrahimovic said: "He runs a lot, he fights a lot, he sacrifices a lot. When he played with Cristiano Ronaldo, all the work was done by Wayne Rooney, but he didn't get the credit because Ronaldo scored all the goals." "I would rather have him in my team than against me. I wasn't lucky enough to have the opportunity to play with him, but I enjoy seeing him on the field - if I can't play with him, I will watch him." However, fitting two high-caliber forwards is not an easy task. Sir Alex Ferguson struggled to keep Rooney and Robin van Persie happy in his last years at United, while Louis van Gaal had the same issue trying to accommodate Radamel Falcao alongside these two players. Despite previous challenges, Rooney is the team captain, a leader in the dressing room, and due to his status, will maintain a starting position in the team. He is also just six goals away from becoming Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer. It is also unclear whether Ibrahimovic would be interested in playing for a club that may not feature in the Champions League next season, but even if that's not a barrier, whoever manages United next season will face significant challenges in selecting the lineup. Impressive performances from Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford provide hope for the club's future, but Ibrahimovic could offer a quick and short-term solution to United's goal-scoring problem. Therefore, trying to construct a duo with Ibrahimovic and Rooney could lead to significant complications at Old Trafford, but the opportunity to sign a contract with one of Europe's biggest football stars may be too good for United's management to pass up.
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