AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic trained with Swedish club Hammarby on Monday as the global soccer shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues, and a brief bout of coughing didn’t appear to trouble him as he practised his shooting.
Former Sweden forward Ibrahimovic, who is his country’s record goal-scorer and owns a stake in the top-flight Stockholm club, took a full part in the training session that had a mixture of bright sunshine and brief showers of snow and hail.
With Italy in lockdown and Serie A and other major soccer leagues closed for the foreseeable future due to the pandemic, Ibrahimovic returned to Stockholm, where authorities are taking a somewhat more lax approach.
Plenty of businesses have been allowed to remain open and gatherings of up to 50 people are still allowed.
“He asked if he could keep himself going with us and we obviously said yes. I don’t know how long he is going to train with us and that obviously depends on what happens in the world,” Hammarby chairman Richard von Yxkull told SVT last week.
“He has been home in Stockholm with his family for a while during the break in Europe, and felt he wanted to touch the ball again.”
As the Easter Monday session drew to a close, the 38-year-old had a brief bout of coughing as he prepared to take part in a final shooting exercise, but he recovered quickly and began smashing powerful shots and volleys into the top corner.
Ibrahimovic’s future in Italy in the balance.
Milan News reported that a lot would depend on a meeting Ibrahimovic is scheduled to have with club boss Ivan Gazidis on his return to Italy.
Von Yxkull said the decision was in the hands of the player. “It’s about knowing how Zlatan sees his future and what he wants to do,” he said.
Earlier in April, the Swede said he wanted to stay in the game after retiring.
“I want to learn something new about football, with a different angle. I will contribute from the sidelines, not on the pitch,’ he told newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
Ibrahimovic’s last Milan appearance was on March 8.
Ibrahimovic re-joined Milan on a six-month deal back in January following a hugely successful stint with MLS side LA Galaxy.
