Manchester United fans will delighted to find out Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already given a glowing recommendation of Adrien Rabiot.
The Red Devils have agreed an initial £15million fee with Juventus for Rabiot, 27. They are still to agree personal terms with the France international, but it's believed he's interested in a move to England - despite United's lack of Champions League football.
United are in desperate need of a new central midfielder after losing Paul Pogba to Juventus and Nemanja Matic to Roma earlier this summer. Even before their departures, many critics accepted the midfield department was one of the team's weakest.
Should United land Rabiot, they will be acquiring a player with a fine CV. The Frenchman has won countless honours at Juventus and former club Paris Saint-Germain - including five Ligue 1 titles.
Three of those titles were won playing alongside Ibrahimovic in Paris. The Swedish striker, who turns 41 in October and recently signed a contract extension with AC Milan, was team-mates with Rabiot before leaving PSG for United in the summer of 2016.
And Ibrahimovic was a big fan of Rabiot during their time together, according to Laurent Blanc. The former PSG manager, who represented United during his playing days, once recalled Ibrahimovic's nickname for Rabiot - as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
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"I remember his argument with Ibra, who respected him," said Blanc. "He called him '[Emmanuel] Petit Rabiot' because he recognised [Rabiot] had the traits of the great player."
Emmanuel Petit was one of the greatest central midfielders of his generation, representing Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea. He lifted league titles in his homeland and England, scoring the last goal in France's 3-0 win against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final.
Rabiot is yet to hit same heights with France - missing their World Cup triumph in 2018 - but he has certainly achieved plenty at club level. Bringing the glory days back to Old Trafford will be his greatest challenge yet... if he dares to accept the opportunity.
United haven't won a trophy since their Europa League triumph in May 2017 and finished sixth in the Premier League last season, recording their lowest points tally (58) in 32 years. They suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton in their first game of this term.
There are question marks over Erik ten Hag's current midfield, with many critics believing Scott McTominay and Fred aren't good enough to play for a club of United's stature. Rio Ferdinand has even suggested playing defender Lisandro Martinez in midfield.
"In my midfield, I’m going to play Martinez as the holding midfielder and take Fred out," Ferdinand told Vibe with Five. "I’m going to play Varane and Maguire [at centre-back]... I wouldn’t pick McTominay or Fred. Listen, whatever happens, Man United will improve from the first day against Brighton. Things can only get better."
