Diego Forlan: Zlatan Ibrahimovic still a class act – but Manchester United need others to weigh in with more goals

With 15 Premier League goals already, the Swede has proved a huge hit at Old Trafford. But when his goals dry up, others such as Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney need to share the goal burden.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match against Sunderland at Old Trafford on December 26, 2016 in Manchester, England. Jan Kruger / Getty ImagesShow less

Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a superb signing for Manchester United. No only did he arrive on a free transfer, he settled immediately into a new team in a new country under a new manager. So many things could have gone wrong, not just for Ibrahimovic but for those around him.

It helps if your partner is happy in a strange town. Helps too if your family is content. If they are not then it affects you, but Ibrahimovic has settled quick, admittedly into a city where it is easy to live as a footballer, where your privacy is respected. He already spoke English and, coming from Sweden, he could hardly say that he wasn’t used to the cold weather.

Ibrahimovic, 35, has already become the oldest player to score 15 goals in the Premier League. He has scored 20 goals in all competitions so far and, with over three months of the season still to go and United still in four competitions, must feel confident of getting 20 league goals and 30 overall.

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I am not too surprised; Ibrahimovic has been one of the best strikers in the world for a decade. I was among the United players and staff who recognised his talent when we played a pre-season tournament in Amsterdam, where he was starting out at Ajax. I was struck by his with fine control for such a big player. He has done well wherever he has been since.

He can be controversial, but it hardly does his popularity any harm and as he has said himself, he thrives on criticism and proving people wrong. He is also big on personality and presence. I like that. Football is a sport and sport is entertainment.

A lot of British people doubted him, but they have gone quiet now. When I moved from South America to Manchester, the change was massive. I went from playing a slow game on poor pitches to a fast one on excellent pitches. It took time. Ibrahimovic has been playing in the best leagues in Europe. He has played in better ones than England. The level in Spain is the highest in the world, that is why Spanish teams win so many European trophies.

Moving to England was hardly a step up for him and he wasn’t joining a team fighting relegation where he would get little service, but one which attacks and is expected to dominate games. That is what every striker wants.

I played against him when he had one of the more difficult moments in his career at Barcelona. I was the leading goalscorer in Spain and Ibrahimovic was trying to integrate into a Barca side after becoming their record signing in 2009. He started well and was scoring in every game. He scored the only goal in a clasico against Real Madrid but he fell out with Pep Guardiola soon after and he was critical of the current Manchester City manager in his autobiography. That adds another twist to where Ibrahimovic is playing this season, but there is no reason why they can’t both prosper.

United are using Ibrahimovic mainly as a No 9, but he can also play in a deeper role. His size helps his game a lot. He can be a reference point, the man who starts moves and finishes them. Because he is so big and strong, it is hard to get the ball off him. He brings others into play around him, he has the selfishness of all the best goalscorers, yet he is selfless too. If there is someone in a better position then he will give them the ball.

It is a shame that those players around him haven’t been scoring anything like as many goals. The best teams, the title winners, need more than one person scoring. You need goals from all over the pitch, but especially up front. At Villarreal I was scoring, but so was Juan Roman Riquelme. At Atletico Madrid, I had Sergio Aguero alongside me scoring a lot of goals. Ibrahimovic had it with my compatriot Edinson Cavani at Paris Saint-Germain before he came to Manchester.

There are some great attacking players at United, but while they might be enjoying playing with Ibrahimovic and learning from him, none have scored more than five league goals. It is not enough, it is a reason why United are sixth in the Premier League table and not first or second. When Ibrahimovic has gone a few games without scoring, which happens to every striker, others haven’t stepped up to replace his goals.

Ibrahimovic is the best finisher at United. Not all of his goals are beautiful, but what does that matter if they end up in the net?

I can see Ibrahimovic staying at United beyond this season. He is 35, but his game has never truly been about pace. It is the one asset he doesn’t have, but he has everything else. He is still at a very high level and that is to his credit, given that he plays in almost every game.

He is very popular with fans, so why not stay? Especially as the team comes together and improves. It is for United to provide more goalscorers around him because as Ibrahimovic has shown this season, he has still got what it takes to play at the top.

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