There are a number of familiar faces for British fans in Sweden's final 23-man squad for the imminent European Championships in France, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic the headline act.

The former PSG man, widely reported to be on his way to joining mentor Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, is expected to retire from international football after the tournament, whatever Sweden's performance.

The Swedes have a difficult group to navigate with Euro 2012 finalists Italy lining up alongside dark horses Belgium and a fired-up Republic of Ireland side, with few in Sweden expecting to reach the next round.

The full squad

Goalkeepers: Patrick Carlgren, Andreas Isaksson, Robin Olsen.

Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson, Andreas Granqvist, Pontus Jansson, Erik Johansson, Victor Lindelof, Mikael Lustig, Martin Olsson.

Benfica defender Victor Lindelof is thought to be a star of the future | Photo: Getty
Benfica defender Victor Lindelof is thought to be a star of the future | Photo: Getty

Midfielders: Jimmy Durmaz, Albin Ekdal, Erkan Zenin, Emil Forsberg, Oscar Hiljemark, Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson, Oscar Lewicki, Pontus Wernbloom.

Forwards: Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Emir Kujovic, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

British connections

Veteran goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, now plying his trade in Turkey, spent two seasons in England with Manchester City, with striker John Guidetti coming through the youth ranks in the blue half of Manchester before representing Burnley and Stoke City on loan.

Guidetti spent the 2014-2015 season on loan in Scotland with Celtic, where defender Mikael Lustig still plays his football. 

Elsewhere, there are further Premier League links through Martin OlssonSebastian Larsson and former Arsenal man Kim Kallstrom.

One young player looking to make a name for himself is defender Victor Lindelof of Benfica. The 21-year-old, who scored the winning penalty in last year's U21 European Championship Final against Portugal, was on the verge of joining Middlesbrough in January before breaking into the Benfica first team.

After an impressive second half to the season, Lindelof is now a rumoured transfer target for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

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About the author
Sam France
Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor at VAVEL UK, part of the VAVEL team 2014-2018.