Erik ten Hag’s tenure at Manchester United came to an end in October last year. Things ultimately did not work out for the Dutchman, despite winning two trophies in his two full seasons at the club. He guided United to their lowest-ever Premier League finish, eighth, last term, although that seems like it will be beaten this time around
The former Ajax boss was certainly backed in the transfer market, too. He spent a reported £616m on new signings over the course of his time at the club, reshaping the squad. Sadly, not many of those signings have ended up working out.
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However, one player Ten Hag signed - under the INEOS regime - who seems to be finding his best form in a United shirt is Joshua Zirkzee.
Zirkzee’s United career so far
It has been a mixed debut season in Red for Netherlands international Zirkzee. He made the move to Old Trafford from Bologna in the summer for £36.5m, and initially struggled to find his best form, despite showing glimpses of what he can do.
Zirkzee-Man-Utd-Dalot-De-Ligt
So far, the former Bayern Munich star has scored six times and registered two assists in 41 games in that famous Red shirt, and has been particularly excellent of late, playing as one of the two number 10s in Ruben Amorim’s system.
Goals were a bit hard to come by for the attacker at the start of his United career. However, he has been finding the back of the net more consistently of late, and scored for United away to Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
He got the Red Devils’ only goal of the game to get a crucial 1-1 draw in the Round of 16 first leg.
As United social media presence Adam McKola said on Stretford Paddock, the United number 11 is “an intelligent footballer”, and possesses excellent close control. His ability on the ball is second to none.
Zirkzee-Lewis-Cook
So, Zirkzee may turn out to be one of the success stories of Ten Hag’s and INEOS' transfer business. However, the new regime have made a handful of poor decisions in the market too, including selling one of United’s most important players last season, who is now outscoring Zirkzee this term.
The former United player outscoring Zirkzee
One of the rare things in modern-day football is to become a one-club player. Well, before his summer move to Napoli, Scott McTominay was on his way to doing just that at Old Trafford. He cost the Naples club £21m up front, with a further £4.2m in add-ons.
Where are they now
Where Are They Now
McTominay departed his boyhood club after making an impressive 255 appearances, scoring 29 goals and grabbing eight assists. Once described as a “hero” by Statman Dave last season, he scored some vital goals throughout his time at Old Trafford.
Last season in the Premier League, the Scotland international scored seven times. That included two goals against Brentford and Chelsea in match-winning causes at home, to earn United some big wins.
This season, the former United number 39 is thriving under Antonio Conte at Napoli. With Gli Azzurri pushing for the Scudetto, he has seven goals and four assists in all competitions, with ten of those 11 goal involvements coming in Serie A.
McTominay
McTominay has made a brilliant start to life in Italy, and is even outscoring Zirkzee, who is starting to find his best form in Red for United.
Some of his stats on FBref show just how well he has played this term. For example, the Napoli midfielder averages 0.26 goals per game, ranking him in the top 95% of midfielders in Italy’s top flight.
McTominay key stats vs. Serie A midfielder 2024/25
Stat (per 90)
Goals
Expected goals
Shot-creating actions (shot)
Successful take-ons
Aerial duels won
Stats from FBref
Looking back on it, perhaps United regret selling McTominay. As well as Zirkzee is playing now, having their former academy star’s goal threat to add to the dynamic up front could have been deadly.
Even though they sold him for just £25m including add-ons, it seems United could have got an even better deal, or just kept him at the club instead.
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