David Beckham wants Zlatan Ibrahimovic to stay at Manchester United amid reported interest from the LA Galaxy.
ESPN reported Sunday that the Swedish striker is closing in on a deal to join the five-time MLS champions, with United manager Jose Mourinho explaining Monday that he wouldn't stand in the way of a potential move.
Speaking at Monday's event that confirmed his Miami franchise as the next MLS expansion team, Beckham said he isn't ready to see his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate make the move to Southern California just yet.
"No matter how you talk about him, he's one of the best players, one of the best people, and if he comes to this league at some point it would be great," Beckham told ESPN. "But at the moment he's a Manchester United player and I'm happy about that, and I want him to stay there. But at some point he might come here."
Beckham played for United from 1992 to 2003 and the Galaxy from 2007 to 2012, giving the former England captain a unique insight into Ibrahimovic's decision-making process.
While some critics believe Ibrahimovic would be coming to MLS too late, with the 36-year-old limited to one start in the Premier League this season after recovering from major knee surgery, Beckham is more optimistic.
"Any mention of any great player like Zlatan coming to this league can only be good for the league," he said. "The fact that I joined [the Galaxy] from a small team like Real Madrid — when you're playing for a team like Real Madrid and you make that decision and that time to actually come to a league that is not as established as it is now, that was a big move for me back in the day.
"But now this league is talked about globally. You're talking about players that have played in this league already — you look at players as great as Kaka, he's come in and he's played in this league.
"And when you talk about Zlatan, yeah, it's great that it's talked about like that, and he would be more than welcomed into this league by fans, by players. It doesn't matter what injuries he has had over his career — he's a beast."