Perhaps it is because his was a genuine stop-gap arrival in the traditional sense of a loan, a short-term option who oozed class and quality in the attack, in 2007.
The move was an undoubted success but the Swede did only score once in the Premier League, three times in all competitions. So, in my view, there are other contenders for the accolade of United's best loan capture.
Carlos Tevez is an obvious alternative - he was fantastic for the Reds but the deal was not your typical loan, stretching over two seasons. It is also fair to say joining Manchester City at the end of it was always going to obviously lose him marks in the respect of this argument!