When Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived in Manchester back in July, there were many who wrote the then 34-year-old striker off as a has-been.

Sure, he'd just scored 50 goals in 51 matches for Paris Saint-Germain last season but that was the French league, a pale shadow of the English top flight.

We really should have know better than to write off the big Swedish striker.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic can become 2016's leading goalscorer in the leading European leagues if he scores twice in Manchester United's New Year's Eve match with Middlesbrough

Barcelona's Lionel Messi has scored 51 goals in all competitions during 2016

Ibrahimovic scored the latest of his United goals against Sunderland on Boxing Day

2016's TOP SCORERS 51 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 50 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United) 48 - Luis Suarez (Barcelona) 42 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 39 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 36 - Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain); Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) 33 - Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli and Juventus) 32 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) 30 - Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) Club goals scored in all competitions during 2016. Players from Europe's top five leagues only. Advertisement

17 goals and counting for Manchester United has conclusively proven that Zlatan can adapt and perform anywhere.

And what is already a momentous year could get even better on New Year's Eve as Ibrahimovic bids to become 2016's top goalscorer in Europe's top leagues.

Currently on 50 goals for the calendar year in all competitions, Ibrahimovic will need to score twice in United's home match with Middlesbrough to usurp Lionel Messi's tally of 51.

With the Spanish league on its winter hiatus, Messi will not play again until the New Year, offering Ibrahimovic the opportunity to overtake him and notch up yet another record.

With 12 goals in the Premier League, two in the UEFA Europa League, two in the EFL Cup and one in the Community Shield, Ibrahimovic has 17 - already as many as United's top scorer last season, Anthony Martial, managed.

Add in the 33 he netted in the first half of the year for PSG and you get another glorious year for a unique player.

Recent goals against Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland propelled Ibrahimovic's total past the 48 goals scored by Barcelona's Luis Suarez this year.

Barcelona star Luis Suarez is third on the list for 2016 with 48 goals in all competitions

Cristiano Ronaldo has notched 42 goals during a very memorable 2016

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski has scored 39 goals during the calendar year

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is the only other Premier League player in the top 10

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 42 during an unforgettable 2016, while Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich has notched 39.

The only other Premier League player in the top 10 is Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, who has 36 for the year and sits in joint-sixth place with Edinson Cavani.

A return to scoring form for Ibrahimovic has coincided with a five-match winning run for United, who are finally starting to look like the side Jose Mourinho envisaged when he took over in the summer.

It is also telling that PSG, in the absence of Ibrahimovic, are presently third in Ligue 1, five points behind the leaders Nice.