West Bromwich Albion defender Jonas Olsson says Zlatan Ibrahimovic made contact to understand more about the atmosphere in England before accepting to move to Old Trafford.
The 34-year-old joined United after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
He wasted no time at all in scoring in his first official match for the Red Devils as he was on target against Leicester City last Sunday.
"Zlatan thought twice before he signed for Manchester United," Olson told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
"We texted a little between the spring and the late summer. I told Zlatan that Manchester United would fit him perfectly.
"The personality that Zlatan has is just like when Cantona was there. Manchester United have lacked this kind of representation with the fans in recent years.
"I'll be honest, I wanted him to come here.
"It raises the status of the league even more and it is fun for me personally to play against him. I hope I find it as funny after we have played against United.
"He texted me a little bit, but I don't think my opinion weighed so heavily on his mind. He wanted to know about the atmosphere in England, whether the club would suit him, and also about life in Manchester.
"He wanted to know a little about the social life over here.
"This is still a big step for Zlatan. He has a great career behind him. He is almost 35 now, but he has a few years left in his career before it is finished and he wants to be remembered for what he does at United."
