José Mourinho believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s performances and importance to Manchester United have made it close to impossible to give the Swede a rest.

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Despite being 35, the Swede has started 15 of United’s 16 Premier League matches and missed the other because of suspension. His late winner at Crystal Palace on Wednesday was his ninth league goal and his 14th across all competitions.

These are impressive figures and, as he prepared for Saturday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion, Mourinho was asked whether it was difficult to leave out Ibrahimovic. “Yes, it is,” the manager said. “Especially a guy like Zlatan [and] as a striker. Sometimes in other positions you can hide yourself a little more, protect yourself with experience and with position. As a striker he is one of the impossible positions where you can hide. He is phenomenal and plays again tomorrow and then one week to rest. Tomorrow is the last effort and then they will have a week without football – and that is a week my players need.

“I am not surprised at how good Zlatan has been. I knew from the physical point of view he could resist but obviously he cannot play 60 matches. I must give him a rest. He was suspended against Arsenal, so that game he did not play. In some matches in the Europa League he was on the bench, also against Northampton [in the EFL Cup]. So now and again I will find a way to give him a rest but as our target striker we can see he is the only one. And the way we normally play we need him.”

Mourinho is also benefiting from the influence Ibrahimovic has on the younger players. “He is a great example; in every aspect he is very professional,” the 53-year-old said. “Even in something that is difficult in today’s football players’ lives – he is great on his family life and on keeping his family life positive and private. He is professional with his lifestyle, too. He is a great example in everything and, when you have him and Michael Carrick at 35, the kids could not have better examples.”

If United defeat West Brom, it will be a third consecutive league win for the first time since the opening three games of the season. Mourinho’s side are in sixth place, six points from the final Champions League place and 13 points behind the leaders, Chelsea. After Middlesbrough’s visit on New Year’s Eve the league’s halfway point will have been reached.

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Mourinho said: “We didn’t arrive [yet] at half of the race. That’s only on 31 December, so I would say the first half of the race would be almost impossible to be in the top four. But one thing is to be 15 points from the top four, another thing is to be six from the top four. What we have to try to do in these three remaining matches in the year is to try to be in a position that gives us the chance in the second part of the season. We are playing well and, if we can transform performances into results, we have a chance.”

Mourinho will have Chris Smalling available at The Hawthorns after a foot injury but the manager said Luke Shaw, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly remain sidelined. Bailly sustained a knee injury at Palace and Mourinho was unable to put a date on the defender’s return. “No surgery – by the movement on the pitch we thought meniscus but, no,” he said. “It’s a question to see the evolution. Hopefully we have him for these last two matches at home [before the new year].”