Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stellar first season in England has been cut short by a serious knee ligament injury that he sustained during Thursday evenings Europa League match against Anderlect. The Swede landed awkwardly as he leapt to contest a header in the second half, with his knee bending at unnatural angle.

The 35-year-old managed to walk off the pitch, which raised hopes the injury wouldn’t be as bad as first feared. However, subsequent scans have shown the true extent of the injury, with the expected time frame for recovery anticipated to be 9-12 months.

But could the Swede make a sensational return in a much shorter timescale than this? Well, he should take inspiration from former-great Roberto Baggio. The striker suffered a similar injury aged 34 and recovered in a remarkable 77 days. He knew he was coming towards the end of his career and he gave it everything to get back in double-quick time.

Like Ibrahimovic, the Italian played for both Inter and AC Milan during an exceptional career. Speaking to Football Italia in a 2015 interview he discussed his experiences in recovering from his devastating injury.

“I remember the hard work,” he said.

“I was in the gym for up to 10 hours a day. I remember the pain I went through. I had many peers around me, footballers who were a lot younger, all in rehabilitation after similar surgeries.

“A couple of hours and the slightest pain was enough to stop them.”

However, the Italian also pointed out just how low he was during this time, and how much of an affect the injury and intense recovery had on him.

Baggio continued: “In the two weeks after the operation, I lost 12kg. I wasn’t eating and I’d just cry all the time, for emotional and physical pain.

“If I said I never thought about throwing in the towel, I’d be lying. There were some very, very dark moments, but every time I’d react. I told myself I had to go all the way and challenge myself.

“I wanted to prove I was stronger than my bad luck and this dream was worth more than a knee.”

Baggio was regarded as somewhat of a maverick, much in the same way Ibrahimovic is today. Will Ibrahimovic put himself through a similar ordeal to get back playing as soon as possible? If not, his days in the big European leagues will almost certainly be over. This would be a cruel way for one of Europe’s great modern-day strikers to leave the stage.

It is a sad situation for the player and the club and it remains to be seen how the injury affects the plans for next season from both perspectives. The best case sccenario is Zlatan returns to full fitness quickly, signs a new deal with United and enjoys another stellar compaign next season in the Champions League and the Premier League following United winning the Europa League this season.