When Zlatan Ibrahimovic's much talked about return to AC Milan was finally confirmed at the end of December, there were plenty of questions raised.
Could he still cut it at the highest level after a serious knee injury and two seasons in Major League Soccer? Was returning to one of his former clubs a good idea? Were Milan right to target a 38-year-old veteran instead of the next big thing?
A little over a month on from Ibrahimovic's second debut for the Rossoneri and the answer to each of those has been, emphatically, yes.
Since the Swede pulled on the famous red-and-black jersey against Sampdoria on January 6, Stefano Pioli's men have not lost a game, winning five and drawing two in all competitions.
Despite his advancing years, Ibrahimovic has featured in five of those and has two goals in three starts. One of his strikes helped seal a victory over Cagliari, while the other came in extra-time of a thrilling Coppa Italia quarter-final triumph.
His return to the San Siro - seven-and-a-half years after he departed for PSG - delighted supporters, who still hold fond memories of his brief, but extremely successful, first stint at Milan.
After playing for rivals Inter between 2006 and 2009, Ibrahimovic crossed the divide by signing for AC on loan in 2010, following a tumultuous season at Barcelona.
He proved an instant hit, scoring 21 goals in 41 games in all competitions, while leading the club to the Serie A title for the first time in six years. It remains their only Scudetto in the previous 15 seasons.
It was no surprise that Milan took up their option to sign Ibrahimovic permanently in the summer of 2011, paying less than £20m to land one of the world's best forwards on a four-year contract.
He repaid their faith immediately during the 2011-12 campaign, netting an incredible 35 goals in just 44 games, although it was not enough to stop Juventus winning the title and beginning what has now been almost a decade of dominance.
And that's where the love affair ended. Ibrahimovic was surprisingly allowed to join big-spending Paris Saint-Germain for just £15.7m that summer, reportedly becoming the second most well-paid player on the planet.
He went on to win four back-to-back Ligue 1 titles, plus eight other trophies, and became the club's all-time leading scorer with 156 goals in just 180 games.
After fours years ruling France, Ibrahimovic finally arrived in the Premier League with Manchester United in 2016.
He scored 28 goals and won the EFL Cup before his debut season was cruelly ended by a serious knee ligament injury, with Jose Mourinho's men going on to lift the Europa League in his home country of Sweden.
The outspoken striker earned another year-long contract at Old Trafford after battling back from injury, but he struggled to hit the heights of his first season and was soon on the move to America, agreeing to join LA Galaxy in March, 2018.
Two seasons and 53 goals later, Ibrahimovic was back on the market as Europe's hottest free agent after conquering the US.
Interest in him was fierce. United, Tottenham, Napoli and Roma were among the big clubs who are said to have wanted him, but an emotional return to Milan, despite the club's struggles, proved too tempting to turn down.
'I'm coming back to a club I hugely respect and to the city of Milan I love,' he said.
'I'll fight together with my team-mates to change the course of this season. I will do everything to make it happen'.
And that's exactly what he's done. Milan were 12th - 13 points behind fourth-placed Roma - after Ibrahimovic came off the bench in a 0-0 draw with Sampdoria at the start of last month.
Now they sit eighth in the table, just seven points adrift of Roma in fifth and Atalanta, who currently occupy the last Champions League spot.
And while a return to Europe's top table may yet prove beyond Milan this season, their improvement since the former Juventus man arrived has been noticeable.
Pioli's side have won three of the four league games that Ibrahimovic has featured in, with their six other victories coming across 18 games.
They average 1.5 goals per match when Zlatan is involved and just 0.9 when he isn't. And at the other end of the pitch, Milan concede 0.5 goals every 90 minutes with the 6ft 5in striker, and 1.4 without him.
Milan also have more shots per game (18.5) when the 38-year-old is leading the line, opposed to 15.3 when he isn't.
Those numbers have helped AC pick up a whopping 2.5 points per game when Ibrahimovic plays, compared to just 1.2 when he doesn't. Had they maintained that for the full season, they'd currently be top of the table, a point ahead of Juve.
But while his presence up-front has been pivotal, his experience, leadership and professionalism have been just as important for an underachieving side.
'The champions do everything for the team,' Zvonimir Boban, AC Milan's sporting director, said at an event in Milan earlier this week.
'Just like [Ruud] Gullit, [Franco] Baresi, [Paolo] Maldini, but also [Roberto] Baggio, [George] Weah and Ibrahimovic.
'Ibrahimovic is a pure champion. Zlatan has a particular personality. He is especially professional. He entered the dressing room with humility, knowing the strength of the impact he might have. That's not easy.
'He understood the atmosphere in the dressing room. The delicacy of the moment. Ibra risked everything. The impact of Ibra was there.'
Ibrahimovic's impact - and AC Milan's improvement - will be severely tested on Sunday evening at the San Siro when they take on fierce rivals Inter in their designated 'away' fixture.
The likes of Brescia, Udinese and SPAL have all been brushed aside in recent weeks, but in Inter, Milan face a side who are genuine title contenders and have suffered just one league defeat all season - the fewest of any side.
Ibrahimovic will also come up against two of his former United team-mates in Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young, after former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte raided the Premier League in a bid to challenge perennial champions Juventus.
Maurizio Sarri's are just three points clear of Inter after losing 2-1 against Verona on Saturday night, a result which has only strengthened Conte's desire to make it two wins from two in the Milan derby.
Goals from Marcelo Brozovic and Lukaku helped the Nerazzurri to a 2-1 victory back in September, but that was before Ibrahimovic returned to Italy.
The former Sweden talisman missed last Sunday's draw with Verona with flu, but the club have 'guaranteed' he will be back this weekend after returning to training.
As the last month has shown, AC Milan are a different animal with their lion fit and firing.