_1_
In some weeks’ time, Joshua Zirkzee could have a major career decision to make. His stint at Manchester United has seen him run short of game time and that is impacting his chances of playing at the World Cup next year.
Milan and Roma have been credited with interest in the 24-year-old, who didn’t start for Manchester United against Wolves. With that in mind, we look at which club the ex-Bologna player should join next.
**What can Roma offer Zirkzee?**
To put it simply, Zirkzee will probably score a lot of goals at Roma. Gian Piero Gasperini wanted him at Atalanta and he fits the Italian’s approach to game which relies on attackers that can interchange positions, link up in wide areas and then make runs from deep.
Those traits in Zirkzee have been seen at Manchester United but haven’t quite been utilised due to mess the club is in.
At Roma, he will play to his strengths and play European football this season. He will play with like-minded technical assets like Paulo Dybala and Matias Soule, while being the fulcrum of the attack.
**What can Milan offer Zirkzee?**
A January move to the San Siro would be Zirkzee’s personal dream. He has previously described it as a dream himself, making it clear that the venue holds special charm for him.
At Milan, the Dutchman would compete for the title this season and if Santi Gimenez departs, he would be the guaranteed first-choice. Like Manchester United, Milan aren’t playing in Europe but this can make it easier for them to win the title.
He would also get the chance to potentially play for the national side, if he wins the title and it will raise his stock at the global level. But tactically, it is easy to question his suitability to Allegri’s system, which has always had taller forwards that are more poachers than deep lying forwards.
**Roma makes more sense for Zirkzee**
Tactically, Roma would suit the striker more. As mentioned – Allegri usually has a very specific kind of striker in his system and history shows that. He is often using a 3-5-2 system this season but the second striker has often been Rafael Leao or Christian Pulisic, with none of them proper number nines. Zirkzee’s role under Allegri would be to constantly be a box presence.
That would be a case of misprofiling the former Bologna player and Gasperini’s setup should bring more out of him and help him score more.
Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN