Jose Mourinho appears to be banking on Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning to play for Manchester United during the second half of next season.

And the United manager – who is hoping for a breakthrough in the club’s pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic over the next week – said he expects his team to be populated with academy graduates over the next few years.

United released Ibrahimovic at the end of last month following a cruciate knee ligament injury that Mourinho expects to keep the Swede out of action until December.

But there is a growing expectation that Ibrahimovic, who has held talks with LA Galaxy and new franchise LA FC in the MLS, could sign a new short-term deal with United and be back playing for the club at Christmas or early in the new year.