Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Swedes not keen on Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to national team - poll

A majority of Swedes responding to a poll in newspaper Aftonbladet say they do not want to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to the national team, despite the striker hinting that he may be considering a comeback.

Ibrahimovic, 35, retired from international duty after Euro 2016 but stoked speculation about a return with a cryptic video on Instagram in which the injured forward pulls back the covers on his bed to reveal that he is wearing football boots with the Swedish flag on them.

The video was posted after Sweden stunned France 2-1 on Friday to climb atop their World Cup qualifying group, raising the prospect of seeing Ibrahimovic at one final major tournament.

However, in an online poll, 65 percent of the more than 100,000 people who responded said they do not want the team's all-time leading scorer to return.

A post shared by IAmZlatan (@iamzlatanibrahimovic) on

Former Sweden coach Lars Lagerback, who is now in charge of Norway, said ahead of Tuesday's friendly between the Scandinavian rivals that Ibrahimovic would only make the team stronger.

"If Zlatan was at the level he was at before he was injured then Sweden would have been even better now," Lagerback said at a news conference on Sunday. "Zlatan is a unique player. If you have a player like that it give you an enormous advantage, as long as there isn't a fixation."

Ibrahimovic is currently recovering from knee surgery after suffering ligament damage in a Europa League game with United in April. Manchester United have confirmed that he is set to be released on June 30, and the striker has been linked with a possible move to MLS.

Ibrahimovic scored 62 goals in 116 games for Sweden and is widely considered the country's best-ever player.

Follow Mattias on Twitter: @MattiasKaren.

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