It’s not often you’ll find someone praising Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee. Afterall, he’s done very little at Old Trafford to earn praise.
Indeed, his two years in Manchester – worth nine goals and four assists in 79 games – is hardly anything to write about.
The Netherlands are not particularly keen either. In fact, he would not have been a part of Xavi’s squad for this international break had it not been for injuries.
Improvement
Yet, here we are. The 25-year-old is in the squad and, he’s earning praise. In fact, just like buses, the praise is now coming in pairs.
First up we have Wim Kieft. He was left impressed by the Manchester United striker’s performance when he replaced Mexx Meerdink in the 2-2 draw with Greece.
“I thought it was an improvement,” he said on NOS during the post-match analysis.
“I found Meerdink quite invisible, including in the link-up play. You are dependent on the service you receive, of course, but Zirkzee did well in the combination play.
“We know he is a player who excels at link-up play and likes to look for those connections. He is perhaps a bit too lacking as a finisher; I get the impression he prefers laying the ball off to a teammate rather than shooting at goal himself. His all-round play is excellent.”
| Every Manchester United signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Player | From | Estimated Fee / Type |
| Carlos Baleba | Brighton & Hove Albion | £65m |
| Andrey Santos | Chelsea | £48m |
| Youri Tielemans | Aston Villa | £35m |
| Karl Darlow | Leeds United | Free |
Screams football
And Kieft wasn’t the only one praising the Manchester United man. ESPN analyst Hans Kraay Jr. was also enthusiastic about what he saw from the Dutchman.
“I think the football world is split half are pro-Zirkzee, half are anti-Zirkzee. I lean towards the ‘pro’ side because I love players who play beautiful football,” he added.
“Everything about him screams football. You can really play football with him. In a crowded penalty area, he plays better than any of the other attackers. He also had a good header.
“I’m not saying Zirkzee has to play as the main striker – that that’s the solution. But Zirkzee is a Xavi-esque type of player. That gives us all a bit of breathing room regarding that cursed number 9 position.”
