Zlatan intervention helps club secure highly-rated youngster ahead of Manchester City

While he’s prone to talking absolute nonsense from time to time, usually when Zlatan Ibrahimović speaks, plenty are willing to listen.

Not only that, they will take the striker’s words to heart and, in the case of Akinkunmi Amoo, act on them. And for Manchester City, that’s proven to be a bit annoying.

You see, according to Aftonbladet, Manchester City had their eye on the young forward and were competing with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for his signature.

Hammarby are another side who are keen, although their chances of getting the 17-year-old were slim with some of Europe’s giants all hovering.

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Then Ibrahimović used his pulling power. He decided to give the Swedish club a bit of a helping hand in the race, sending a video message to Amoo and telling him that ‘we in Hammarby are waiting for you’ and urging him to head to Sweden.

And, unsurprisingly, it worked. Aftonbladet explain it ‘had the desired effect’ with the youngster now set to train with Hammarby until mid-March after being granted a visa.

At 17 he can’t sign a deal yet, but can do when he turns 18 in the summer, and now Hammarby will be at the front of the queue.

That’s all down to Ibrahimović’s intervention, with his message seemingly giving Hammarby the edge and leaving the likes of Manchester City cursing their luck.