Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s spell at Manchester United couldn’t have started much better.
He scored an overhead kick on his first appearance against Galatasaray in pre-season; he netted the winner against Leicester City in the Community Shield, and then went on to bag four goals in his first four Premier League matches.
Since his last Premier League goal though, against Manchester City on September 10, Zlatan has failed to find the back of the net in six top-flight matches.
The 35-year-old is currently enduring his worst goalscoring run for nine years.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last 6 Premier League games:
540 minutes played
35 shots
0 goals
0 assistsNo way past Tom Heaton today. pic.twitter.com/l9hAdy2yjH
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 29, 2016
In 540 minutes, he’s had 35 shots on goal – including 12 against Burnley on Saturday – but he can’t buy a goal for love nor money at the moment.
In all competitions, Ibrahimovic has scored one goal in 10 matches: against Zorya in the Europa League back on September 29.
He also missed a couple of good opportunities to score against Man City in the EFL Cup last week; a match which saw him make a rather rude gesture towards Nicolas Otamendi.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, here’s the evidence…
Zlatan le muestra sus pelotas a Otamendi pic.twitter.com/zj50yt0k1j
— Balls for cats (@ballsforcats) October 28, 2016
According to French journalist Julien Laurens, writing in Le Parisien – per 101 Great Goals – there’s a possibility that the Football Association will suspend Zlatan for his actions.
“The league’s disciplinary committee will look into this incident,” Laurens writes. “It is the first problem for Ibra in his new country, and now he can be suspended.”
Zlatan a Otamendi en pleno clásico de Manchester… pic.twitter.com/jSb0dHJBgl
— Radio Diblu FM (@RadioDibluFM) October 28, 2016
The way he’s performing right now, losing Ibrahimovic for a game or two is unlikely to upset too many United supporters.
An increasing number of fans believe it’s time for Zlatan to have a spell on the sidelines, allowing Marcus Rashford to show what he can do through the middle.