Former Manchester United and Tottenham striker, Dimitar Berbatov, is said to be interested in a return to the Premier League. Berbatov, who last played in England for Fulham in 2014, is a free agent after leaving Greek side PAOK Salonika in the summer.
His agent, Emil Dantchev, raised the prospect of Berbatov playing in the Premier League again in an interview with the BBC, mentioning “Dimitar feels he can play for at least another year and his priority would be to come back to England.”
Berbatov’s desire to return to England is likely to have a number of clubs on high alert. Swansea had shown an interest under previous boss, Bob Bradley. It remains to be seen whether they, or any other club, decide to take a chance on the 35-year-old Bulgarian.
Berbatov boasts a strong record in the Premier League, having scored 92 goals in 229 appearances for Tottenham, Man United, and Fulham. He is remembered with fondness at each of those clubs. His languid style and perceived lack of effort left supporters frustrated at times, but his breathtaking ability made up for it more often than not.
Brilliant improvisation from Berba! #MUFC https://t.co/eta9o81UsA
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 25, 2016
‘Berba’ remains an especially popular figure at Old Trafford, having netted 20 goals for Sir Alex Ferguson’s United in the 2010/11 title-winning campaign. He also claimed another Premier League title with the Red Devils in 2009, as well as three League Cups across spells at United and Spurs.
While rarely prolific, Berbatov returned at least 12 goals in five out of his ten seasons in the Premier League. Moreover, he is the all-time top goalscorer for Bulgaria (48 in 78 appearances). Age appears to have caught up with him, though. Berbatov managed only four league goals last season at PAOK prior to being released. Clubs will be wary about taking on a striker who turns 36 in January.
That said, the sparkling form of 35-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimović at United may prove to inspire both Berbatov and Premier League managers.
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