David Beckham: Zlatan Ibrahimovic great for MLS, but hopes he stays at Man United for now

David Beckham says Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be a great addition to MLS, even if he hopes the striker stays at Manchester United for now before following in his footsteps.

Ibrahimovic's contract expires this summer, and after multiple sources told ESPN on Sunday night that a move to the LA Galaxy is "the furthest along it has ever been," United boss Jose Mourinho said on Monday he would not stand in the way of a transfer.

And at the official launch of his ownership's group new MLS club in Miami on Monday,United legend Beckham had high praise for his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate in an interview with ESPN.

"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 said. "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."

Like Beckham before him, Zlatan would be leaving one of Europe's top clubs to come to Los Angeles, and the Englishman said the league has grown by leaps and bounds since he moved to MLS in 2007.

"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 playing 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, and it doesn't matter what injuries he has had in his career, he's a beast -- he's a beast!"