Photo by MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by MB Media/Getty Images
Joshua Zirkzee got a substantial amount of time for Manchester United against Brighton, yet he may as well not have been on the pitch, as he reduced Michael Carrick’s side to 10 men.
With Manchester United losing to Brighton, the early-season crisis around Old Trafford is now reaching a fever pitch, with several players and Michael Carrick under real pressure.
On a night to forget, United had some terrible performances on show, primarily in the defence. But in the attack, there was also some real concern over Benjamin Sesko’s performance.
Meanwhile, Joshua Zirkzee’s cameo went beyond just concerning and should really be the end of his career at United. Offering absolutely nothing, the Dutchman looked completely lost, meaning United were playing with 10 men.
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Joshua Zirkzee offers nothing for Manchester United, again
Replacing Sesko in the 66th minute, Zirkzee touched the ball just 17 times, with none being impactful. He completed five of nine attempted passes and lost all four of the duels he competed in.
He was an active passenger for the 30 minutes that he had on the pitch, and as poor as Sesko was against Brighton, he still offered so much more than Zirkzee did.
It is frustrating, but it also isn’t a surprise. Zirkzee is in his third season at United, and somehow, he has gotten worse each campaign to the point that there is now no point bringing him on.
To have a fifth-choice level striker as a second choice within the squad handcuffs Carrick massively. Zirkzee isn’t good enough to bring on, yet United are almost forced to continue trying him due to his fee and the desire to sell him in the near future.
Zirkzee was weak on the ball, slow off it, and in many ways the performance wouldn’t have been acceptable of a novice making his first appearance at a much lower level, never mind a £36m signing in season three.
It might be harsh, but Zirkzee offers United nothing on the pitch, and he shouldn’t play another minute for the club when there are players in the academy like Noah Ajayi who could benefit from the chances instead.
Around the 90th minute, Zirkzee was having to be told to press by Matheus Cunha, while being 3-2 down at Old Trafford, which is a scenario in which common sense and footballing knowledge should have seen him know that already.
He either doesn’t care or is just woefully out of his depth, but this has been the case for years, and it is baffling that Zirkzee remains at the club. He was kept on deadline day amid Everton interest for squad depth, but there is no point in depth when he can’t actually be relied upon.
In the box, Zirkzee was a disaster too, as from a Youri Tielemans cross, he floated to the back post to stand next to United’s other attackers, challenging for the ball instead of getting into space for second balls.
There are so many reasons to want Zirkzee to leave, but most pressingly, it just means a proper back-up striker can be signed, which United have needed for years.