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Joshua Zirkzee has laid out some major ambitions at Manchester United, revealing the sort of sporting levels that he hopes to reach at his new club.
Having signed for Man United this summer, Zirkzee enjoyed a dream start to life at Old Trafford, scoring the winner against Fulham in his official debut.
Although he has since been unable to find the back of the net three matches later, the Dutch forward appears determined to become a fan favourite at United.
“I would love it if, in a few years’ time, people said that my game looks a bit like Zlatan Ibrahimovic,” Zirkzee told the Mirror.
For United fans, Ibrahimovic is fondly remembered for lifting the club to the Europa League and League Cup in 2017.
“The start, with the winning goal against Fulham, was nice,” Zirkzee fondly recalled before mentioning, “Then we lost twice – and you know that at a big club like Manchester United, the attention then comes full on.”
Still, Zirkzee has refused to allow his recent dry spell to affect his mind negatively. “I believe it will be fine. I’ve always had that. I never doubted it would still work out with my career. As a player, you gradually discover what you need to do to get to the top level and what you must cut out,” he explained, suggesting that with time and planning, he will be able to reach his best performance at United.
The 23 year old also spoke about the curious circumstances under which he was lured to United, also making sure to elaborate on the magnitude of his big dreams in Manchester.
“It all happened quickly in the summer. I was at the Netherlands training camp in Wolfsburg for the Euros when United’s interest came in. I haven’t even said goodbye to the club and people at Bologna yet. I hope I will get that opportunity because I had a great time there in an important time of my career,” Zirkzee explained.
“We are working here (at United) on me having to at the point of the attack to score goals. Now it’s my dream to be the No 1 striker for club and country. You train, you do your best and then you find out whether you can keep up with the level.”
Overall, Zirkzee has come across as a positive signing for United, with his high work rate, creativity, and motivation to win. Still, as his performance in the 3-0 win over Southampton last weekend showed, Zirkzee is struggling to produce the final product up front, suggesting that he may need to do some work on the training pitch to unlock his true goalscoring ability.
Earlier this month, Zirkzee enjoyed an emphatic performance in what was his first start for the Netherlands, scoring a goal to seal a 5-2 win for his country against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League.
Still, even as he progresses on the international stage, some observers are of the opinion that Zirkzee may not be suited to be a Premier League striker.
Troy Deeney hit out at United manager Erik ten Hag for playing Zirkzee in a position that the retired footballer feels Zirkzee is not suited to. “I don’t think Zirkzee is a striker,” Deeney admitted. “I always watch strikers, and he moves like a No. 10.”
Former England manager Fabio Capello, on the other hand, feels that Zirkzee himself needs to make adjustments if he hopes to succeed at United. “I saw Zirkzee who is having great difficulty because he thinks he can still play at the Italian pace,” Capello claimed, suggesting that the onus is on the player to unlock his full potential rather than Ten Hag.
Given Ibrahimovic’s killer instinct in front of goal, United fans will certainly hope that Zirkzee can emulate the Swede’s goalscoring prowess. Hopefully, with more work at Carrington and sufficient playing time, Zirkzee will become the clinical striker United fans are hoping for.
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