Amidst all the talk of strikers around Manchester United this summer, one name that went completely under the radar was Joshua Zirkzee.
The Dutchman had a difficult start to life at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, but started to show why he was signed in the back half of last season with some impressive displays before a hamstring injury away at Newcastle United killed all his momentum.
Over the summer, debates about the striker position seemed to largely omit Joshua Zirkzee, and the signing of 22-year-old Benjamin Šeško for a mega fee seemed to suggest that Zirkzee is not going to be a key player for United going forward.
But when Matheus Cunha went down injured early on against Burnley on Saturday afternoon, it was Zirkzee that Amorim looked to over his marquee signing and the Dutchman showed what he brings to the team during the game.
UtdDistrict discuss how the Burnley game showed that Zirkzee can still be a key player for United this season.
Zirkzee brings a different dimension to United’s attack
By now, Zirkzee’s ability to hold the ball up and bring his other attackers into play is known, but fans had perhaps forgotten just how good it was before the Burnley game.
When Zirkzee came on, United’s attack was still functioning well despite the loss of Cunha, and there were some really nice moments of interplay between him and the other attackers.
Specifically, Zirkzee has learnt how to use his body really well against defenders, and this enables him to hold the ball up even when under contact from defenders, a weakness in Šeško’s game. Rasmus Højlund struggled with this too.
Zirkzee’s ability to handle contact, control the ball, and bring his fellow attackers into play does help United to get up the pitch and sustain attacks better. It also creates more danger, which the likes of Bryan Mbeumo can capitalise on.
He also has quality in the air. For Mbeumo’s goal, it was Zirkzee’s flick-on header that sent Diogo Dalot in behind Burnley’s defence, he also headed a dangerous cross back across goal later in the game but Benjamin Šeško couldn’t get away from the defenders in time.
Zirkzee still has a role to play, especially with Cunha injured
Matheus Cunha has started life at United well, with some impressive performances, and his ability to connect the attack and keep the ball under pressure has stood out a lot, which makes his injury all the more frustrating.
Things did not look too promising, and Cunha could be out for a while if it is a hamstring injury, which makes Zirkzee an even more important option in United’s attack.
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From United’s pool of attackers, Zirkzee is the one who profiles closest to the Brazilian forward. Whilst he lacks the speed over long distances and ball striking of Cunha, his technique, strength, ability in tighter spaces, and versatility to play as both a centre forward and a number 10 have suddenly become increasingly valuable to Amorim.
He linked up promisingly with Mbeumo and Amad, and gives Šeško more of an opportunity to settle in, given that right now he is ahead of him in a lot of key areas for a striker in this team and league.
There is also the option of playing them together to free the Slovenian up a bit more to focus on running the channels whilst Zirkzee holds the ball up and brings others into play. What’s nice is that he brings United options at a time when they are needed.
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