Jose Mourinho was speaking and it sounded like some sort of soap opera storyline was brewing.
'I don't want to make a situation of Zlatan and Romelu because it can be Zlatan and Romelu, it can be just Zlatan, it can be just Romelu, or it can be just no one,' said the Manchester United manager.
Mourinho was making a mental checklist of his options very much aware that successfully resolving the 'Zlatan and Romelu situation' could define the outcome of United's season.
He would have sensed the dilemma approaching from the beginning of the season, every time he saw 36-year-old Ibrahimovic working hard in the gym on what was a pretty superhuman recovery from serious knee ligament damage.