Joker Zlat’s Small talk

Trafford for the superstar striker to extend his welcome stay in the North West.

Smalling added: “Yeah, definitely. You can see by how he has performed this year and the goals he’s scored. I think if we can keep a player like that for as long as we can, all the players will be happy.

“How long can he go on? I’m not sure. Age does not seem to be a factor with him whatsoever. He’s played one of the highest number of games in our squad and he’s contributed as well.

“So who knows how long he can go on. I think it’s all down to how long he wants to go on.”

Ibrahimovic notched his 17th career hat-trick in the 3-0 Europa League win over St Etienne to take his tally to 23 in his debut United campaign.

And it is that dead-eye precision for goals which Smalling taps into when he always volunteers to face Ibrahimovic in training ground