Milan Must Look to the Future Despite Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Brilliance

Another win for Milan at the weekend keeps them unbeaten this season and top of Serie A, which is something that we haven't been able to say for the best part of a decade.

Milan's decline through the 2010s was harrowing and humbling, but after cycling through a number of managers and finding new owners, the ship seems to have finally been steadied. A solid summer transfer window has seen deadwood cleared and young, exciting faces brought in with one eye on the future.

Committing to Stefano Pioli has proved rewarding thus far, too. He's getting the best out of a new-look squad and the team seems rejuvenated under his tutelage. And for as promising as Milan's youthful and hungry squad looks, the man tying it all together is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Because of course he is.

An assist and the winning goal against Udinese was what secured Milan another three points in Serie A at the weekend, and was Ibrahimovic's eighth in all competitions this season. Many thought his career at the top was over when he moved to LA Galaxy from Manchester United, but his return to Milan in January silenced any doubters once more.

The Swede has been in electric form since his return to the Italian capital and has rejuvenated the Milan side, providing cutting edge leadership, invaluable experience and a freakish technical ability all while being 39 years old. Oh, and a shed-load of goals.

It's exactly this, however, that puts Milan in a tricky spot. Ibrahimovic is continually defying the odds and proving to the world that he can still be relied upon despite his age, but there's literally no way of predicting when his powers will diminish. And at his age, they can't be around for much longer. Surely.

There are no signs to suggest that Ibrahimovic is losing key elements of is game. Aside from his obvious leadership qualities, the striker boasts a extraordinary athleticism that allows him to score with any part of his body, and a reading of the game like no other, allowing him to thrive as a creator and a finisher while playing like a striker in their 20s.

In two of his last three seasons, Ibrahimovic has made 30+ goal contributions, from assisting a teammate or bagging them himself. The only instance where he didn't score more than 20 goals was last season, where he managed 11 goals and five assists from 20 games due to him re-joining Milan halfway through the season. The way he's continued into this season, you can only assume that he'd have surpassed the 20 goal mark given a full campaign to do so.

It's an incredible stat to look at, no matter what league he might have done it in; Zlatan - at 39 - is outscoring some of Europe's most exciting forwards who are ten to 15 years his junior, and shows no signs of letting that level slip. There's only so long the body can cope, however, and no matter how much he tries to convince us that he simply isn't human, there is a clock ticking down on his powers.

His outstanding track record makes it easy to forget that he suffered a nasty ACL injury that effectively ended his time with Manchester United. And while his astonishing recovery from that injury again suggested that he truly is one of a kind, it's bound to catch up on him. Even a short-term fitness issue could potentially see Milan struggle without his presence due to a sudden reliance on him, which is further evidence that they need to start future proofing.

Rafael Leao looked a shrewd signing last summer and has no doubt gained some invaluable tips behind the scenes from the Swede, but relying on one 21-year-old - who has been earning his stripes in a wide role in recent times - would be naive. Instead, Milan must make good on their promising recruitment and target a young striker with the potential to fire them back to the top in the future.

The earlier this new face comes in, the better; it would give them time to patiently ease their way in, while getting what's left out of Ibrahimovic and providing the new arrival with the ideal mentor on the training ground, in turn unburdening Zlatan should they return to the Champions League next season.

Replacing Ibrahimovic would be an absurd move for Milan right now. Even letting him leave at the end of the season wouldn't be the most sensible; the forward loves the Rossoneri and the Rossoneri loves him, and his experience behind the scenes is a benefit to everybody in the squad. Not planning for a life without him, though, would be equally absurd, however; all good things must come to an end and flogging a dead horse is never the way to go.

There's still life left in Zlatan, but over-relying on him and not making good on some incredibly progressive recruitment by bringing in a replacement for the long-term would be a huge shame for Milan.