Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made a career out of breaking the mould, with Juan Mata revealing that the enigmatic Swede did that when arriving at Manchester United in 2016.
With Jose Mourinho calling the shots at Old Trafford, prolific frontman Ibrahimovic accepted the offer to work with a Portuguese tactician once more having previously spent time together at Inter.
He arrived on the wrong side of 30 and with questions being asked of his ability to deliver in a division as competitive as the Premier League, but detractors were silenced by a man with a habit of doing just that.
Ibrahimovic netted 28 times across a debut campaign which was cut short by injury, helping United to three trophies along the way.
He made a lasting impression across a brief spell, with a short-term extension in the following season torn up when the decision was taken to head for MLS and the LA Galaxy.
A modern day icon is still tearing it up in the States at 38 years of age, with his success no surprise to those who have worked with him.
That includes Mata, who admits that Ibrahimovic bucked the trend in Manchester when it comes to new arrivals taking a while to come out of their shell.
He told the Manchester Evening News of the responsibility he has as a senior player in helping fresh faces and academy graduates to settle: “We’ve now got some players who have come in from the academy, which I think is very good for the camaraderie.
“And we have some talent. And if they want anything from me they will have any conversation, any comment and sometimes we do it. Because I think we all need support at that age and it’s important they feel comfortable with the people they are surrounded by.
“I think there’s always this first reaction that we all had when you join a professional dressing room with players who have been there a long time, you tend to be quiet, and tend to wait and listen and don’t speak a lot. I was like that, and almost every single young player was like that. Probably not Zlatan! Axel [Tuanzebe] is probably more outspoken.”
Among those seeking to offer a similar level of inspiration at United to that delivered by Ibrahimovic is Anthony Martial.
The France international has been nursing an injury of late, but he is a player that Mata believes is capable of becoming a match-winner for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
He added: “It’s just the way I like football and the way I like him as a player. He can win a game by himself because he has this quality of overtaking players one against one, he’s got quality with the ball.
“I enjoy playing with these kind of players, which is one-twos, and they make the play better. He’s very good, he’s a very talented player. He’s been unlucky now with injuries. When I say predilection it’s because I like to watch him play, I like to play with him and I like the way he is also and the way he plays, also.”
Mata is still enjoying his time at Old Trafford, having arrived back in January 2014, and committed to a new two-year contract over the summer.
He feels he still has plenty to learn in his current surroundings, saying: “That’s what I feel, that’s what I said when I said when I renewed my contract and came here for the first time.
“To be part of this club is something really special and that’s why I’m here.”
