Red Devils FANS hope Joshua Zirkzee is more like Ruud van Nistelrooy or Robin van Persie than Memphis Depay.
Manchester United’s track record in signing Dutch strikers has been mixed.
And there are doubts whether Zirkzee would be another bet or perhaps an upgrade for Dane Rasmus Hojlundwho ended up having a noteworthy debut season.
The £34m release clause United must pay Bologna for 23-year-old striker Zirkzee is far less than the initial £64m they spent on Hojlund last summer.
But if you take into account the renowned over £12 million in commission to the agent Kia Joorabchian, the investment is considerable.
Zirkzee would arrive, like Hojlund, with just one promising but unprolific season in one of the top five European leagues – in both cases series A.
The Dutchman scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 34 top-flight games as Bologna finished fourth and won the Champions League soccer for the first time in 60 years.
Hojlund, in his only season at Atalanta, scored nine goals and four assists in 32 Serie A games.
Looking from a player’s perspective, Zirkzee could also be forgiven for being a little wary of United.
Hojlund, 21, struggled in his first few months at Old Trafford, failing to score a league goal until December 26 – but he was not helped by United’s injuries on and off the pitch.
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Although Zirkzee performed as a solo vocalist in Thiago In Motta’s formation at Bologna last season, he looks less like a traditional number 9 than Hojlund.
He is perfectly capable of running to balls, but is more often found getting into the game and combining with teammates.
You could see the frustration and bewilderment on his face as the balls were thrown over his head into channels instead of at his feet.
Initially, he often has his back to the goal, but Zirkzee has excellent feet and agility for a man of his height – 1.80m – and physical strength.
The former Bayern Munich star can turn around quickly, has plenty of tricks up his sleeve and will happily take on players one-on-one.
Zirkzee can also see and pick out a pass, with greater regularity and success than Hojlund.
He would give United boss Erik ten Hag different ways of playing, whether as a replacement for Hojlund or as a partner.
But what United need most after finishing eighth in the last campaign – and scoring 57 goals compared to title-winning City’s 96 – is serious firepower.
Hojlund was the top scorer with Bruno Fernandes with ten leagues strikes and Ten Hag’s team finished with a negative goal difference.
In Zirkzee’s career to date, he has scored at a rate slightly better than a goal every four games.
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And earlier this year, he told Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport: “I have to be more selfish in front of goal, it’s something I have to work on.”
Van Nistelrooy, who will be named to the Ten Hag backroom team, could certainly help with that.
The legendary Dutchman attacker scored 150 goals in 219 appearances for United and also scored 20 or more in the Premier League in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford.
Van Persie managed 26 in his first campaign for United in 2012-13 after leaving Arsenal.
That was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season and the last time the club became English champions.
And someone probably needs to hit those numbers if United want to be contenders again.
Flop Depay scored just two goals in 33 Prem matches, coming from PSV Eindhoven for £25m in 2015 before ending a miserable spell at Old Trafford after 18 months.
Wout Weghorst – who has had more playing time at Euro 2024 than Zirkzee – has failed to score in 17 league appearances for United after being loaned out by Burnley in January 2023.
United’s quick and possibly decisive move for Zirkzee suggests faith in his ability to help solve the attacking problems.
But so did the mega financial deal for Hojlund.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
