Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists he is 'the boss' at AC Milan with outspoken Swede working to lift Serie A giants from 'very low level'

Milan's owners, RedBird Capital, announced Ibrahimovic had returned to the club last December as a senior advisor. The Swede enjoyed two separate stints with the Rossoneri during his playing career and is now responsible for improving what he describes as a "very low" situation at the San Siro.

Since winning Serie A in 2021-22, AC Milan have seen rivals Inter Milan take over as Italy's premier side. The Nerazzurri won the title last season and reached the Champions League final in 2023. Milan finished 19 points behind Inter in 2023-24 and currently lie in 10th position in the standings through four matches in 2024-25. So there's plenty of work for Ibrahimovic to do to return Milan to the top, but he certainly seems up for the challenge.

"I am the boss and I am in charge, all the others work for me," the 42-year-old replied when asked by Sky Sports Italia about his role, via ESPN. "When the lion goes away, the kittens arrive. When the lion comes back, the kittens disappear. The level is very low, there is too much talk but I only think about working. I was away for personal reasons, but I have been here since day one."

AC Milan enjoyed a strong summer transfer window, bringing in Tammy Abraham, Alvaro Morata, Youssouf Fofana, Strahinja Pavlovic and Emerson Royal, and Ibrahimovic is pleased with the club's business.

"It went exactly as we wanted, everything we looked for and was missing we got," he added. "The last one was Abraham, to provide an extra reinforcement in attack."

Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League, which preceded an awkward interview between Christian Pulisic and Thierry Henry, highlighted the gulf in class between Milan and Europe's elite, and the USMNT star called for change ahead of this weekend's Milan Derby.