AC Milan will be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the Europa League round-16 clash with Manchester United, sources have told ESPN.
The Swedish forward was replaced halfway through Milan’s 2-1 win over AS Roma on Sunday, after suffering a hamstring injury.
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Sources have told ESPN that Ibrahimovic will be assessed in 10 days to determine the total time required at the elbow and that is March 11 – the day Milan face United.
It is unclear whether the match, with United the designated home side, will be held in England given the recent European matches in which Premier League sides were played at neutral venues due to a coronavirus-forced travel ban.
If the game went ahead at Old Trafford as planned, it would have meant Ibrahimovic would return to the stadium where he spent 18 months from 2017-18. During his time at United, he won two major trophies: the EFL Cup and the Europa League.
Ibrahimovic’s absence comes as he is due to host the annual San Remo music festival, which takes place from March 2-6. His promises did not result in his exclusion from the games against Udinese (March 3) and Hellas Verona (March 7) as sources told ESPN that Milan had set him a schedule for regular training and be available for games.
However, this injury will keep him out of both games. Milan’s next game after their clash with United is a home game with Napoli on March 14 that could be available.
Milan are four points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan after beating the case before winning over Roma, with 12 matches remaining.