Manchester United stars arrived to training on Thursday to find that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is re-joining the club.
United’s players have been buoyed by the news - which they had been told to expect following the Swede’s miraculous recovery - that Ibrahimovic has signed a new one-year deal.
Now Ibrahimovic returns to "finish what I started" at the club, where he will once more team up with Paul Pogba - himself sporting a new designer earring as he turned up at Carrington for further preparations before the weekend meeting with Leicester.
The two struck up a firm on-field relationship last term, with Pogba's first five assists in a United shirt all teeing up the Swede to score.
The 35-year-old is targeting a return to action before 2017 ends - November has been pencilled in - following a remarkable recovery from the serious knee injury suffered in April.
"I am back to finish what I started. It was always mine and the club's intention for me to stay,” said Ibrahimovic. "I cannot wait to get back out on that Old Trafford pitch, but I also know that I have to take my time to make sure that I am ready.
"I have been working hard and will continue to do so to make sure I am in the best possible condition for my return to the pitch.”
When Ibrahimovic returns to full fitness, the question for Jose Mourinho invariably will turn to how the Swede and £75million Romelu Lukaku are used.
The Belgian has made a flying start to life as United's No.9 - having taken the shirt vacated by Ibrahimovic during the summer - scoring four goals in three competitive games so far.
The ex-Everton hitman has been operating as the focal point to United's attack, but his status as the main man could now come under threat from Ibrahimovic.
Lukaku isn't the only new teammate for Ibrahimovic, with Nemanja Matic having also arrived from Chelsea between the Swede's exit and re-signing.
But another Old Trafford new boy, Victor Lindelof, does have history of working with Ibrahimovic.
The summer signing from Benfica had played alongside Ibrahimovic at international level with Sweden, and Ibrahimovic gave him a glowing reference to Jose Mourinho when United scouts were watching him in Portugal last season.
Now, with United having made an outstanding start to the new season, the pair will be hoping to end the campaign with title glory.
