Will the Zlatan show get a second season?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 26 goals this season and his decisive performance in the EFL Cup final have left Manchester United with a dilemma as they ponder how to keep their talisman at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season.

Anyone who watched United at Wembley against Southampton on Sunday will have been left in no doubt that Zlatan is the man holding Jose Mourinho’s team together and the man on who, certainly in the short term, they will rely for that extra bit of magic required to win trophies.

Ibrahimovic is so important to the way United play, a focal point for an otherwise inconsistent attack and midfield, that he has made 38 appearances this season and has rarely been left out, even in games when you would expect him to be offered a rest.