- Joshua Zirkzee Is Close To Joining Manchester United After Snubbing AC Milan
- What Does He Add To Manchester United’s Attack?
Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. The Mancunians have informed Bologna that they will pay the Dutchman’s release clause. United are looking to wrap up the deal this week.
It looks almost certain that Zirkzee will move to Manchester United this summer, so it is only right for fans to know their new forward. What does he offers as a player?
Before anything else, Let’s start with what Joshua Zirkzee isn’t. Currently, Zirkzee is not the prolific striker that will score 30 Premier League goals next season.
His best tally in a season came at Anderlecht where he scored 16 goals under Vincent Kompany. So, just to get it clear, at this stage of his career, he is probably not going to compete with Haaland for the golden boot next season.
So, What Does Joshua Zirkzee Offer?
Joshua Zirkzee is a ball-playing forward/striker. A player that offers almost everything you could possibly want in a modern attacker. Decent amount of goals and assists, creativity, technical ability, composure, dribbling, good hold-up play and excellent pressing.
He ranks in the 89th percentile for take-ons, in the 79th percentile for shot creating actions, and in the 69th percentile for progressive carries. All these stats shows that he is not the typical striker, and it’s quite impressive considering his physical attributes.
At 6ft4, Zirkzee is tall, strong, and impressively nimble with a mind of a number 10. He often looks to create for his teammates, and stats shows that 60% of the time, he makes the right decision in the box.
The Dutchman reportedly told his former boss Thiago Motta that he plays best as a second striker, but Motta who has once compared Zirkzee to Ronaldinho, disagreed. The Italian manager played him as the main striker, and they went on to break records for Bologna last term.
Joshua Zirkzee joins a Manchester United team that has focused on counter-attacking under Ten Hag for the past few years. He can be the ball-playing striker who links up well with United’s midfield or partner up with either Marcus Rashford or Rasmus Højlund.
The Dutchman’s profile is quite rare, but his style as a striker is similar to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson.
Although Stats suggests that he is more clinical than Chelsea’s Senegalese striker. The Dutchman converts over 55% of his big chances, compared to Jackson’s 28%.
As Manchester United aim for more stable management on and off the pitch, Zirkzee is a top signing for the Red Devils. While goal expectations must be managed, he has the potential to be an exciting player for the club.
