Manchester United; Zlatan arrives

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrated his first “competitive” goal for Manchester United on Sunday as the Swede netted an 83^rd minute winner to secure Jose Mourinho’s first silverware of the season in the annual curtain raiser.

Many questions of course will still remain regarding the 34 year olds ability to produce week after week in the premier league, but for now at least, Zlatan announced his claim to the No. 9 shirt with glory.

Both teams started the game well and both seemed to have something to prove after admittedly shaky preseason games. Manchester United having a lack of games in part due to the cancelled Beijing match against local rivals Manchester City. Leicester of course got hit for four against PSG and Barcelona respectively.

Manchester United looked nothing like they did last season under Van Gaal, with the sideways passing that infuriated the paying supporters seemingly a thing of the past. £30m new boy Eric Bailly seemed ready for life in England adding athleticism to the back line, showing his pace and precision on 26 minutes making a very well executed challenge just as Jamie Vardy was preparing to latch on to Danny Drinkwater’s perfectly weighted through ball.

It was home-grown talent that made the breakthrough on 32 minutes as Jesse Lingard picked up the ball near the halfway line and proceeded to take on and beat 4 Leicester City players and side foot the ball past Kasper Schmeichel. It was a truly wonderful goal and will certainly have been noticed by new England boss Sam Allardyce watching in the stands.

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The premier league champions, trailing at the break, introduced club record £16m new signing Ahmed Musa. The Nigerian summer acquisition from CSKA Moscow made an instant impact attacking Manchester United down the left and creating chances.

Leicester were gifted their equalizer though after 52 minutes as Musa had a pass intended for Jamie Vardy intercepted by Marouane Fellaini who then made his case to be shipped out of Old Trafford before the transfer window closes by playing an incredibly under hit back pass to De Gea. England striker Vardy gratefully accepted the gift and put a signature finish past the Spanish goalkeeper.

Both sides exchanged shots across the bow with Wayne Rooney shooting wide for Manchester United and Leicester City’s Demarai Gray having his shot saved by De Gea.

With both sides chipping away at each other Zlatan’s moment finally arrived in the 83^rd minute. The striker had been largely missing from the game up until this point but had the awareness to rise like a salmon to meet Antonio Valencia’s cross and head the ball in off the post to give himself and last season’s FA cup winners their first silverware of the new season and give supporters hope that the good times may be returning to the red side of Manchester.