Ibrahimovic: Guardiola to blame for Barcelona row

Manchester: Manchester United’s mercurial striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed on Wednesday that his fallout with former Barcelona head coach and current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in the 2009/10 season still riles him.

It was Guardiola who brought Ibrahimovic to Barcelona in 2009.

But the duo fell out, resulting in the Swedish superstar being loaned to AC Milan after only a season before he could make the move permanent.

In an interview with Fabio Capello on Fox Sports Italia, Ibrahimovic said: “I learned from Barcelona, both on and off the pitch. I learned that in football any situation can change in 24 hours.

“The problem wasn’t with me, it was with him, and he never came to terms with it. I don’t know what his problem was with me. It is something that drives me, gives me adrenalin and extra motivation. It is normal after what has happened. I’m using it as a positive, not negative.”

United play arch-rivals City at the Etihad Stadium on April 27. The Premier League fixture is being tipped as an important clash for the race to finish in the top-four.

Currently, City are third with 57 points from 28 matches while United under Jose Mourinho are fifth with 52 in their kitty from 27 matches.