AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic insists he's very different privately compared to his public persona.

The Swede is in the final stretch of recovery from a knee operation.

He said, “I am someone who wants to help in every way, I don't have the big ego of someone who wants to do everything himself. I am here at Milan to give everything, to help my teammates improve, to have success and understand what we're doing.

“It is a sacrifice, hard work and we aren't doing this just to pass the time. When you provide an assist, it's just as important as scoring a goal. I do everything I can to help."

On his relationship with Milan's young players, he added: “I always ask them, if you are clear on goal with a teammate, do you score or provide an assist? If they say goal, I reply you'll have trouble with me, because the right mentality is to believe an assist is just as important as a goal.

“There are some players who go more for the goal, but in my view that's not as enjoyable, you are not a complete player that way. You are complete if you raise your teammates up to your level."