Old Trafford welcomed back a fan favourite at the age of 36 and after suffering a serious knee injury which saw him sidelined for seven months. Manchester United have been lacking a certain edge in the Premier League and the Swede could be the missing piece of the jigsaw for the remainder of the season.
His return has been much awaited, but the news may have pleased some more than others. Jose Mourinho will have to come up with a way to include Ibrahimovic in the formation once he fully recovers and is elegible to play a full 90 minutes.
In the win over Newcastle, Zlatan once again felt like a footballer. He came off the bench, something that is bound to repeat itself over the next few fixtures until he is 100 per cent recovered. And then what?
Mourinho has three options to choose from. The first would involve Lukaku being relegated to the bench, the second would see Ibrahimovic used as a 'super-sub' of sorts, coming on in the final minutes to clinch a late goal when defenders are worn out having battled with the Belgian throughout the game. The third option is to include both strikers in the starting lineup.
"This season we played so many times with two strikers," said Mourinho, who is not ruling out playing the duo up front. "We played so many times, especially when we played three at the back and the wing backs we brought the second man to the centre so we can do it."
Lukaku has scored 11 goals for the Red Devils since joining in the summer for £75 million and has since been partnered with Marcus Rashford, who could become the scapegoat once Ibrahimovic receovers his form.
"I am excited because I have more options, I am excited because the team can be better, I am excited because I want to have players available," Mourinho added. "But I don't want to make a situation of Zlatan and Romelu because it can be Zlatan and Romelu, it can be just Zlatan, it can be just Romelu or it can be just no one. I want options and I have more options now in attack."