Thursday, December 15, 2016

Ibrahimovic is no longer world class, says Shearer

Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer thinks Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic “was world class” but is no longer at that level.

The Swede scored the winning goal for the Red Devils two minutes from time in their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Ibrahimovic, 35, has scored nine goals in 15 Premier League appearances and 14 in all competitions since joining the club on a free transfer from PSG in the summer.

However, Match of the Day pundit Shearer thinks the only genuine world class talent in the Premier League is Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero.

“Let’s have a look at this world class,” Shearer said.

“Messi, Ronaldo, [Luis] Suarez. Is he [Ibrahimovic] as good as those three? He was world class, no doubt about it.”

In contrast, Phil Neville disagrees __with the former England striker and has hailed Ibrahimovic’s contribution this season.

“He plays every minute of every game. The EFL Cup, Europa League, he goes to Russia and comes back and plays,” Neville said.

“I think he’s world class. That’s what world class players do, they play in every minute of every game. They don’t want resting.”