Zlatan Ibrahimovic maybe 37 years of age, but he has shown no signs of slowing down since his departure from Manchester United.

It may only be Major League Soccer, but his record following his arrival Stateside is very impressive, hitting 38 goals in 45 appearances for LA Galaxy.

In contrast, Wayne Rooney, who is four years younger than Zlatan, scored 25 in the exact same number of games.

When the Swedish legend left Old Trafford on a free transfer in March 2018, most supporters thought it was for the best.

He had bee excellent during his first season in England, bagging 28 goals in all competitions for United, but an anterior cruciate ligament injury ended his campaign early.

An ACL can be a challenge to recover from at the best of times, but in his mid-thirties, it was felt by some at the time that Zlatan would not come back playing at the same level.

Manager Jose Mourinho clearly felt that was the case, especially after the Swedish striker picked up another knee problem just a few months after recovering from the ACL.

Without much fanfare, Zlatan was allowed to go to the US before his contract expired without a fee being paid. It could be argued that the club lost both a significant number of goals, but also an influential figure in the squad.

Ibrahimovic was pretty close with Paul Pogba and it is noticeable that the increased friction between the Frenchman and Mourinho began to exacerbate following the Swedish star’s exit from the club.

It’s unlikely he would have been able to stop the pair falling out, but in some senses, Zlatan’s demand for perfection from himself and teammates meant he was another leader, other than the manager.

The standards he set were the example that others had to follow. With an inexperienced team, he could have been an ideal mentor in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dressing room.

Zlatan’s personality would have influenced a lot of these young players, and the vast experience he possesses could have been used to help the likes of Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood mature.

He would have proven an excellent general for Solskjaer, and you have to wonder whether the club could have held onto him a bit longer, not only for his goals but also what he could have offered off the pitch too.