Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimović sustained a knee injury during the top match against Juventus (3-0) in Serie A on Sunday, just five weeks before his national team's first match against Spain in Euro 2020. The 39-year-old felt pain while attempting to control a ball in a challenge with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt and remained on the pitch for about two minutes before being substituted by Croatian Ante Rebić in the 66th minute.
"Ibra" had just renewed his contract with Milan for an additional season until June 2022 and returned to the national team participating in the European Championship next month after a five-year international retirement. Sweden will play its first match in the continental finals on June 14 against Spain.
Italian television showed images of Ibrahimović at the end of the match standing at the edge of the pitch with his left knee bandaged, celebrating Milan's significant victory over the Old Lady with a three-goal margin, thereby enhancing their chances of participating in the Champions League next season after several years of absence.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli showed no signs of concern regarding Ibrahimović's injury, stating, "Zlatan was not at 100% fitness and participated in half of the training session on Friday. He felt some pain in his knee; we hope it’s not serious, and we'll evaluate his condition in the coming days." Ibrahimović had previously sustained a serious knee ligament injury while playing for Manchester United in a match against Anderlecht in the UEFA Europa League in February 2017, which kept him off the pitch for about nine months, during which he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S.
