Cape Town - Manchester
United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been urged by his surgeon not to
rush back from the anterior cruciate ligament he picked up in April.
The Swedish superstar, who was United's leading scorer last season with 28 goals, injured his knee against Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter-finals earlier this year.
After being ruled out of the rest of the season, it was unclear what his future might hold following such a serious injury. However, the Red Devils recently rewarded Ibrahimovic by renewing his contract for another year.
Nonetheless, Dr Freddie Fu has since advised the 35-year-old to not be hasty in trying to return to action too soon.
Dr Fu, who operated on Ibrahimovic, told Sky Sports: "He is very strong but soccer is still a combative sport. As a doctor, of course I want to see him return as slow as possible, only when he is fully fit for the game.
"There have been many cases of a player returning prematurely with bad consequences. I have no worry about his injury as it always takes time to fully recover.
"In fact, the EPL has just started and I am sure Manchester United would not need the player urgently for any crucial game either in the league or European competitions."