AC Milan goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has praised the personality and leadership of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and believes the Swede makes everyone around him better. The 38-year-old returned to the Rossoneri on a short-term deal at the turn of the year following the expiry of his contract with Los Angeles Galaxy.

He has since bagged four goals and one assist from 10 outings for the club and talks are already underway over the possibility of extending his stay for another season. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Begovic said that the veteran strives to be the best everyday despite approaching the final hurdle of his professional career.

He added that the former Paris Saint-Germain star is a team player and a joy to watch on the playing field, he told: “His personality, his leadership, his quality on the pitch. The best thing about him is how competitive he is. At his age, he is still pushing every day to be the best. He is a team player in so many ways, his standards make everyone else better. He can change games with presence.A world-class player who is a joy to watch.”

Ibrahimovic sustained a calf injury during the club’s return to training after the coronavirus shutdown and he remains doubtful for the season restart. Still, the Rossoneri will be hoping that the Swede can make his comeback at some point this term. The San Siro giants are currently seventh on the league table with 36 points on the table and they are 12 points behind the Champions League places.

With just 12 matches to play, it is unlikely that they are going to catch fourth-placed Atalanta BC, who have an extra game in hand. Hence, they may have to settle for Europa League football and even that won’t be straightforward. A couple of defeats could quite easily see them drop into the bottom half of the table, considering only four points separate them from 12th-placed Cagliari. Meanwhile, Milan can qualify directly for the Europa League group stage, suppose they win the Coppa Italia.