Why new Man Utd centre-forward Joshua Zirkzee will shock fans, is GOOD news for Hojlund and just like a Red Devils icon
WITH the Euros now over, the attention of the football world is firmly on the transfer window as teams accelerate their preparations for the new season.
Manchester United are already making headlines with some early moves.
In recent years many of their blockbuster purchases have failed to work out as planned.
However, with new leaders Ineos guiding the club forward, there is hope that this window will bring the first true steps into returning the club to it’s former glory.
The first piece of the puzzle in that regard is Joshua Zirkzee, who has signed a five-year deal after completing a £42.5million transfer from Serie A side Bologna.
Zirkzee, 23, has had something of a nomadic career to date having moved to Bayern Munich from Feyenoord at youth level and then spending time on loan to the likes of Parma and Anderlecht.
In 2022 he finally moved to Bologna for around £27.5m, before his game developed to the point where he was a target for several clubs this summer, including AC Milan.
Below we take a look at some key aspects of the Dutchman’s game, such as how his style is not that of a traditional centre forward and how he will shock the Old Trafford faithful with a similar profile to Roberto Firmino.
Positioning
The signing of Zirkzee does not necessarily mean that there will be an impact on the playing time afforded to Rasmus Hojlund next season.
Hojlund, himself a big money signing from Serie A, is much more of a traditional striker who wants to play high and pull off the shoulder of the last defender.
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Zirkzee, on the other hand, is more likely to drop deep in order to receive the ball in deeper areas and look to link the play.
This movement profile from the Dutch striker may cause some issues, however, with the way that Bruno Fernandes typically looks to play.
Whether he starts as an 8 in the midfield or as a 10 between the midfield and attack he typically looks to get into those same positions that we are likely to see Zirkzee dropping into.
This profile is perhaps slightly surprising given his size and frame.
He is 6ft 3in with a long and athletic build and he very much looks like the kind of striker who can play that Hojlund role and push the defensive line back.
Instead, Zirkzee profiles more as a technically strong striker who will take possession and then link with team-mates to create a threat and bring players into the game.
That is not to say that Zirkzee cannot play higher as a more advanced striker.
When he does play on a higher line though he will still look to act as a platform in the advanced areas that his team can play into.
He will not look to spin and attack space behind the defensive line, but given Man Utd already have attacking players in the likes of Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford who can threaten this space this is not necessarily a bad thing.
It is actually reasonably easy to see a situation where Hojlund and Zirkzee would be able to play together.
Creativity
When he plays in deeper areas Zirkzee is the kind of forward who sees the game and that can find a pass in order to progress the ball forward.
When he drops back into the deeper positions that we have discussed and receives forward passes from team-mates he is constantly scanning and checking both his position and the position of his team-mates on the pitch.
This allows him to build pictures of the game and when he receives the ball he is able to play at tempo with one or two touches to quickly progress the ball and break lines.
He is a striker who is more suited to a style of football that is based more on quick transitions or counter attacks and where the ball is quickly moved from back to front.
This will fit well at Man Utd given the issues that they had with ball progression last season.
We will not be surprised to see comparisons quickly made by fans between Zirkzee and Dimitar Berbatov, as both are tall creative forwards with a great first touch.
When he gets the ball in the attacking phase he is not the quickest or most dynamic.
But he has a tendency to draw players towards him and in these situations he then connects well with team-mates.
Zirkzee will create threat and opportunities for team-mates consistently and this will be hugely beneficial for other attackers in the squad as he drags defenders out of position and plays passes into space.
He is the type of forward who will bring creativity to the attacking unit for Man Utd, something that was sorely missing last season.
Goalscoring
For all that Zirkzee is a more creative striker who drops into deeper positions he is still, of course, a competent finisher in his own right.
Last season at Bologna he ended the season with 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions.
A lot of his goals come from situations where he receives the ball at his feet and drives forward to create the angle to shoot.
He is not necessarily an instinctive goalscorer who will thrive on crosses into the area, but his ability to score from different angles and situations will bring immediate value next season for United.
While Hojlund will consistently look to stretch the pitch and make runs beyond or through the defensive line Zirkzee is perhaps more of a player who relies on his reading of the game and positioning to create goalscoring opportunities.
He is intelligent with the way that he drops off opposition defenders and he will create separation and space in order to receive and play.
He also reads the intentions of the opposition players very well.
If they are loose with their passes in their defensive third then he will be quick to take advantage of that as he looks to regain possession as close to the goal as possible.
This is another avenue by which he will create opportunities to score goals.
The Dutch striker is never likely to be a 30 goal-a-season striker but he will contribute effectively in the attacking phase for Man Utd next season.
Conclusion
Having spent a significant fee to recruit Zirkzee from Bologna this summer it is fair to say that Man Utd fans will be excited to see their new man in action.
While he may not be quite the type of striker they expect they will still get a lot from their new man in attack.
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