Roy Keane has backed Manchester United’s pursuit of Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic and believes the striker can provide the same sort of spark in the dressing room that Eric Cantona once did at Old Trafford.

Keane is a big admirer of Ibrahimovic, not just because of his talent on the pitch, but also because of his personality. Having played with Cantona at United, the Irishman can see the similarities between his old teammate and the charismatic Swede.

With the Republic of Ireland preparing to face Sweden in their first group game at the European Championships on Monday night, Ireland’s assistant manager was inevitably drawn into talking about United’s link with Ibrahimovic.