Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wary of threat from AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Frenchman believes the Swedish striker is a 'great player' who is capable of big game performance, while Thomas Vermaelen is confident of shackling the forward on Wednesday

14 Feb 2012 21:18:00

By Andrew Kennedy

More On :  AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arsène Wenger
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Milan (Getty Images)
Getty Images

Arsene Wenger has revealed his concern over the threat posed by AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League last 16 clash with the Serie A side on Wednesday.

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The Swedish striker scored twice against the Gunners when playing for Barcelona back in 2010, as the Catalan giants overcame the north London outfit in the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition.

Ibrahimovic has once again been in top form in Italy this season, scoring 15 goals in his last 19 games, and Wenger has admitted he is wary of the 30-year-old’s striking prowess.

"He is a great player," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

"If you look at his record, at what he has won, he has his own personality based on a strong belief in himself.

"That is a quality at the top level that can sometimes be seen as over-confidence but I don't think he is because he turns up with performances in the big games.

"That's why I believe he was at the Arsenal training ground before his career. Before he moved to Ajax we were interested in him, and he made a great career."

Meanwhile, defender Thomas Vermaelen is confident of shackling Ibrahimovic, having previously played with the forward in his youth days.

"When I was playing regularly, he had left already, but I had a lot of sessions with him when I was a young player," said Vermaelen.

"I know his qualities, like everybody does. He is a strong and technical player, one of their main players, it is up to us as defenders to keep him quiet tomorrow.

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