Having seen superstars Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao fail to shine in Old Trafford despite their high profile signings , Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a different class after his free transfer move in 2016 despite aged 35 at the time .
At 6ft 3in , the Swede was a global star on and off the pitch winning league titles in Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France although his signing was considered a risk by some as United had youngsters like Marcus Rashford and Jese Lingard waiting for the opportunity to make their mark . Like a fairytale , the forward scored on his league debut against Bournemouth as well as scoring twice in the EEL cup final win against Southampton . In the end , Ibrahimovic finished the season with an impressive 28 goals in 46 apprerances as well as making the PFA Team of year and Europa League Team of year .
With United struggling post Ferguson era, Ibrahimovic was signed by Jose Mourinho to bring back not just the goals but the experience, swagger, and winning mentality which had gone missing since the retirement of Fergie; an assignment he not only fulfilled impressively but also brought the global spotlight on the club once more like it was in the past . In the peak of his form for United last season , it was so devastating that he had a knee cruciate ligament injury in April in the Europa league game against Anderlecht which abruptly ended his season .
This season despite extending his contract in the summer, the Seede has struggled to see game time playing only seven games scoring only a goal with Romelu Lukaku not only taking his jersey number 9 but also his place in the team and goals ; making the Swede's exit inevitable. It is only befitting that he will be remembered as an icon in Old Trafford despite having only a single impressive season having won the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League during his time at the club as he helped bring back the winning mentality which has made United one of the most successful sides in Europe.
