Joshua Zirkzee has made an underwhelming start to life in a Manchester United shirt, and produced a particularly pitiful display during the club's 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday
Joshua Zirkzee
Joshua Zirkzee continues to struggle at Man Utd (
Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Things aren't looking too rosy for Joshua Zirkzee at the moment.
The Dutchman has struggled for form and goals since joining Manchester United in the summer and arguably reached his season nadir on Sunday. The Red Devils were whacked 3-0 by Bournemouth in a result that meant they'll be in the bottom half of the table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989, and Zirkzee was effectively anonymous throughout.
He was hooked on 54 minutes after taking just 19 touches, only one of which was a shot, and misplacing five of the 11 passes he attempted, according to Sofascore. As a result, he was showered with criticism after the game from fans and reporters alike.
But if Zirkzee's stint at Bayern Munich is anything to go by, the criticism won't faze him. In fact, it'll probably help him.
He signed for the German giants as a teenager in 2017, and broke into the first team squad two years later. With the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry ahead of him the pecking order, game-time was hard to come by, but Zirkzee made his minutes count, netting four goals in just three starts during his debut Bundesliga campaign.
Hopes were high that the forward would soon cement his place in the starting line-up, but questions quickly arose about his work ethic and body language. He was slammed by Bild for looking "hapless and unmotivated" in training, and while the criticism was damning, Zirkzee issued a defiant response.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, he rubbished Bild's claims and insisted that all his critics do is fuel him to get better. "I thought it [Bild's report] was a bit too much, unnecessary," Zirkzee said.
Zirkzee was substituted after failing to make an impact against Bournemouth on Sunday (
Image:
Getty Images)
"Everyone has a training in which they score less goals. Do I have to keep walking around with a happy face? On the one hand it motivates me even more. On the other hand I think: let it go. As long as trainers and fellow players believe in me. That is the most important thing, I will continue to work for that."
United fans will be hoping for a similar sort of response after Zirkzee's poor showing at the weekend. The 23-year-old, who cost United £36.5million, has scored four times in 24 matches in all competitions so far this season. Since the opening day of the campaign he's netted just twice in the league, despite featuring in all 17 of United's games.
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