Just one off Messi! Ibrahimovic reaches 50 club goals for 2016

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in dazzling form of late, plundering 11 goals for Manchester United in his last 13 appearances.

The most recent of those arrived against Sunderland on December 26, with the Swede doubling the Red Devils’ advantage on the day as they eventually ran out 3-1 winners.

That effort saw the former Paris Saint-Germain striker hit a notable landmark for the calendar year, with a half-century of goals now recorded in club colours by the enigmatic 35-year-old.

A remarkable return sees Ibrahimovic sit narrowly behind Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi with one more fixture to go for him in 2016.

Messi has tallied up an incredible 51 efforts this year, while Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has 44 having fallen off the pace a little due to a slow start to 2016-17 by his usual standards.

They are both taking in a winter break, leaving Ibrahimovic with an opportunity to leap to the front of the queue during a New Year’s Eve meeting with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.