Jamie Carragher hails "box office" Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Retired Liverpool football club player Jamie Carragher arrives for a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster at Anfield Stadium on April 15, 2014
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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher pays tribute to Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, comparing the Swede to Eric Cantona.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has paid tribute to Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Eyebrows were raised when Man United signed the 35-year-old on a free transfer last summer, with critics claiming that the experienced Swede would struggle to perform in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic has already scored 18 goals for the Red Devils this season, however, and has found the back of the net on 13 occasions in 19 Premier League matches during the 2016-17 campaign.

Carragher has said that the "powerhouse" striker has "a swagger reminiscent of Eric Cantona" and called Ibrahimovic 'the new king in town'.

"He is box office, a 6ft 4in powerhouse with the balance of a No 10," Carragher told the Daily Mail. "He is a Manchester United player in every sense, with a swagger reminiscent of Eric Cantona. There is a new king in town.

"Yet for all that brooding and self-belief, he has the same insecurities as all footballers and Thierry Henry told me that Zlatan used to ask: 'What have they said about me?' when he knew he had been discussed on television. When United signed him, I knew he would be a good addition but I never foresaw it being for more than 12 months.

"I never expected he and Wayne Rooney would become a partnership and it is testament to his professionalism that United are already prepared to activate the second year of his contract. Before Christmas, I described Zlatan as being the best signing of 2016. He has won 29 major honours in his career and, the way he is performing, you can see him taking that figure beyond 30 before his time in Manchester is over."

Man United will attempt to record their 10th straight win in all competitions when they welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford in the league on Sunday afternoon.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United in action during their Premier League clash with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on November 6, 2016
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea21171345153052
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs21136243142945
3Liverpool21136249242545
4Arsenal21135348222644
5Manchester CityMan City21133541261542
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd21117332201240
7Everton219663223933
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom218582828029
9Stoke CityStoke217682733-627
10Burnley2182112331-826
11Bournemouth2174103037-725
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2174102635-925
13Southampton216691926-724
14Watford2165102336-1323
15Leicester CityLeicester2156102434-1021
16Middlesbrough214891722-520
17Crystal Palace2144133040-1016
18Hull City2144132045-2516
19Sunderland2143142040-2015
20Swansea CitySwansea2143142349-2615