Joshua Zirkzee’s lack of goals for Manchester United is not a problem for the Netherlands but does mean the pressure is on Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo instead.
That’s according to Kenneth Perez, via Voetbal Primeur, who has been looking at the striker situation for the Dutch today.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman currently has a decision to make on the main strikers in his squad, with neither Zirkzee nor Ajax’s Brian Brobbey starting the season well.
Brobbey is yet to score in the Eredivisie for the Dutch giants while Zirkzee has managed one goal in ten games for Manchester United since joining from Bologna in the summer. That goal came on the opening weekend of the Premier League, and he has not scored since.
That’s a problem for the Netherlands, whose only other option in the position for this international break is Wout Weghorst.
They will be hoping the Manchester United man can perhaps find his goalscoring boots in this break or other players in the squad, such as Donyell Malen and Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo can step up.
The latter actually hasn’t scored in the Premier League this season but has two goals in the EFL Cup and two assists in the league and Champions League.
He’s undoubtedly in better form than his compatriot and Perez believes Zirkzee’s lack of goals, as well as Brobbey’s, has put the pressure on the Liverpool man.
“They both made it very difficult for him (Koeman). Just not in terms of goals,” he said.
“They don’t score goals, and that is a requirement for a striker. If Brobbey had not been so good against Germany, Zirkzee might have become the striker. But it is not a problem that you have two young strikers, is it?
“Then you can alternate. You can look at who is in shape at that moment. It is hoped that one of the two will score goals at some point. There is now a lot on Gakpo’s shoulders when it comes to scoring goals, and from midfield you cannot expect Reijnders to score every time.”
