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Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee has hailed the mentality of international and club teammate Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt endured a very difficult September international break, in which he committed multiple high-profile errors in games vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany. The Netherlands beat Bosnia and Herzegovina but were held to a 2-2 draw by Germany.
Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dutch boss Ronald Koeman was forced to swing into the defence of De Ligt, after his mistake allowed veteran talisman Edin Dzeko to find the back of the net.
Koeman kept faith in the former Bayern Munich defender, naming him in his starting XI to face Germany a few days later. Koeman’s decision backfired as De Ligt’s two howlers saw Germany scrape a valuable point.
As a result, De Ligt was hauled off at half-time vs. Die Mannschaft. His performance on that occasion earned him criticism from Koeman and centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk.
However, De Ligt responded in excellent fashion with a stunning performance for United in their 3-0 win over Southampton at St Mary’s.
The 25-year-old grabbed the Red Devils’ opener, as he brilliantly headed in a sumptuous cross from club captain Bruno Fernandes.
Beyond his finish, De Ligt was a rock at the back for United and almost nothing went past him. He was first to everything and was rightfully named man of the match for his contributions.
Zirkzee spoke to ViaPlay [via SportWitness] and backed his teammate after a difficult few weeks. When De Ligt scored, Zirkzee was one of the United players who joined him in wild celebration.
The former Bologna forward said, “It was nice to see him score. Matthijs is of course my buddy here. Also in the Dutch team.”
“It was a moment. Matthijs also jumped in front of me. I almost got his foot in my face afterwards. I was just super happy for him.”
“I don’t really want to say it, but I think it was written about him in a difficult period because of what happened at the Dutch national team. I don’t think that had an effect on him.”
“But I was just super happy for him. He also played great. He’s in the group. He’s great for us. I was just very happy.”
Zirkzee revealed that he works closely with Erik ten Hag’s assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy. When asked what he’s been working on with Van Nistelrooy, Zirkzee was evasive and only responded, “I want to keep it a secret.”
The 23-year-old added, “(It’s) Great. He’s been a striker. Detailed work. Watching footage. Looking back. The way he works with you. That’s very important. I can relate to that; You can learn a lot from him.”
Zirkzee and United return to action this weekend when they travel to Selhurst Park to face Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace.
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