The PFA Player of the Year nominations were announced on Thursday morning and, after a mixed first season under Jose Mourinho, there was some good news for Manchester United fans.

Alongside the list of Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane was Red Devils summer signing, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Ibrahimovic has got his nomination, but he won’t stop there

The retired Sweden international, who arrived on a free from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, has defied all critics with his showings in a United shirt and done what he has always done throughout his career, score goals.

The 35-year-old, after criticism that he was too old to cut it in the Premier League, has bagged 28 goals in all competitions so far this season, 17 of those in the league.

Such a tally is impressive by anyone’s standards, however, it is the manner in which he has scored most of his goals which has impressed most of all.

After a good start under Mourinho, scoring four in his first four outings, the former Barcelona man went on a run of just one goal in eleven games for United, leading many to back up their assumption that the journeyman striker is simply too old to perform on a regular basis in the Premier League. However, stoked by such criticism, beginning with a brace at Swansea Zlatan began a run of 13 goals in as many games to truly get his season back on track.

Since that run the imperious self-proclaimed ‘King’ has continued to bag important goals, none more so than his brace against Southampton to lift his, an Mourinho’s, first major trophy for the club, when arguably the rest of the side out there with him were well off the pace.

His season of defiance has led to Thursday’s nomination. There is no saying he will win the award, in fact his incident involving Tyrone Mings could well mean he doesn’t, however, it is a top achievement nonetheless.

Many players would take such an achievement as having reached the top in English football, however, for someone of Zlatan’s ilk this is only the start. There is still speculation surrounding his future, with lucrative offers from MLS clubs mooted this summer, but it is clear the former Inter Milan hitman has got a taste for English football and will not be content with United’s performance this season.

With that in mind, the nomination, combined with Mourinho’s evident plans for continued investment this summer, could well play a role in keeping Ibrahimovic in Manchester for another season at least, something which would delight United fans around the world.