One thing's for certain, both aren't strikers who are good enough to lead the line for United. This is coming from someone who really likes Hojlund and someone who's willing to give Zirkzee more time.
But it's becoming clear to see that neither of them are really what we need as a number 9, at least at the moment.
So what does Ruben Amorim do with these two young and promising forwards?
Out of the two, Hojlund is more of an actual number 9. He possesses the attributes needed of a centre-forward but he isn't making the most of it in this moment.
Zirkzee is more of a false 9, or even 9.5 as some people put it which tells you that he isn't a striker at all.
Hojlund can hold the ball up, bring others into play, make runs into channels to create space for teammates, is good in and around the box and has a very good finish on him. His goal conversion rate last season was one of the best in the league for a period.
However, none of those abilities have been on full display. One of which isn't his fault as the team around him have to do a lot more in terms of creating chances for the striker be it Hojlund, Zirkzee or Ronaldo before them.
All have been subject to the same problem of lack of chances created.
However, with Hojlund, he isn't doing enough of the other aspects required of a number 9.
That hold up play that was decent but improving in the first few weeks under Amorim has all but disappeared as he can be bullied off the ball quite easily. He can also be a little slow and flat-footed in terms of getting the ball ahead of the defender.
He also does this thing where he backs into a player too much and ends up falling too weakly and doesn't get a foul. This results in the loss of possession and leaves all frustrated.
For a player who is 6ft 4, the Dane isn't really that dominant in the air and despite being a pretty big guy, can be a little too weak at times.
And while there still hasn't been a plethora of chances, the opportunities he does get are off target or a simple save for the goalkeeper.
The 21-year-old only has 7 goals in 24 games this season. He also hasn't scored in any of his last six matches five of which have been from the start.
A striker will be judged on goals and as he isn't getting any, that is already a problem. The fact that his all round game is also seriously lacking means that there is nothing to his game at the moment that warrants a place in the starting XI.
I always felt that former Red Scott McTominay actually showed better movement and positioning in the box than Hojlund. He looked to be getting in good goal scoring areas and was the reason as to why he scored so many important goals for us. Scotty was also good in the air, something that Hojlund isn't the best at.
I do believe he suits Amorim ball because it works a lot better with an actual striker. Hojlund has also played in a 3-4-3 formation before at Atalanta. That gives him more of an advantage than others.
As for Zirkzee, he can't lead the line simply because he isn't a striker.
While he is a big lad and could potentially be good aerially, he isn't actually that good in the air. He very rarely wins headers in either box or to flick the ball on.
Hojlund may not be the best at hold up play, link up play and running into channels, but at least he has those abilities. Zirkzee does not.
All of his attributes are more of a playmaker/CAM/second striker. He likes to drop deeper and get the ball into feet, likes to drive with the ball, is very technical and can pick a pass. But those aren't want we need from our striker. We also have players who can do those things.
The Dutchman also doesn't display the ability needed of a fox-in-the-box. His movement isn't good enough and positional sense is non-existent.
His whole game in general is one that is very laidback and casual which can sometimes look like he doesn't care. This approach was compared to Dimitar Berbatov but while his was also causal, there was a lot of quality and he scored a good amount of goals.
Zirkzee has just 4 goals and 2 assists in 29 matches this season.
The 23-year-old was also at the lowest of lows after the Old Trafford crowd seemingly booed him off and cheered the fact that Ruben Amorim made a first half change of replacing him in the 2-0 loss to Newcastle.
A distraught Zirkzee was then seen walking down the tunnel almost in tears at that substitution and crowd reaction. He re-emerged from the tunnel not long after but with a hood on to cover his face.
Anyone would've felt the same in that situation and at that point, it appeared as though his short time at United was over. No one thought there was a way back.
The rumors began to come around that he could leave United in January and return to Italy. To be honest, these rumors have been there ever since he came to the club which isn't something that I like. I'd rather this not be there at all or leave the club because we don't need this sort of shite.
After that Newcastle game though, things seemed to have turned a corner for the player.
His cameo appearance at Anfield was met by the away fans singing his name. Zirkzee's performance was also a pretty good one for the short time he was on the field. He should've gotten the mach-winning assist as well had Maguire buried his chance.
Another substitute appearance followed at the Emirates in the recent FA Cup victory over Arsenal. Zirkzee put on another good display as he showcased some of that incredible technique that we know he possesses. A double nutmeg on the highly-rated William Saliba was an example of this ability.
Scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout though, would've boosted his confidence to the highest it's been since coming to the club.
He was seen with a massive smile on his face, the fans were once again singing his name, and all his teammates were there to give him his flowers. These last two appearances were needed after what was a terrible day against Newcastle.
As he is now high on confidence, I suspect Amorim will be looking to start him on Thursday against Southampton over Hojlund. There is the option that the manager could play Zirkzee as one of the CAMs and keep Hojlund up front but the last time he did this, was the Newcastle game. It didn't work out at all.
But therein lies the problem: is Zirkzee a good enough replacement for Hojlund?
The Dane is struggling at the moment and could do with time on the bench but does Zirkzee fill anyone with confidence that he can come in and be the guy up front? Can he truly be an improvement to Hojlund?
Confidence-wise, yes. Ability-wise...
Both of them have showcased that they are better coming off the bench. Whenever either has started, neither has taken the opportunity to say 'I am him.'
As mentioned, Zirkzee's two recent best performances have come as an impact sub. Hojlund also looks a lot fresher when coming from the bench. His last goals were against Viktoria Plzen on 12 December in which he scored 2 off the bench and was arguably his best performance of the season.
If they are backup bench strikers, then we really should be looking for that proper number 9 who can be him. We cannot be relying on two young, promising talents who appear at their best when asked to come on rather than from the start.
The two are still young and have time to develop but as for now, they just aren't what we need.
Who do you think should be United's main striker from here on? And how badly do we need an out-and-out goal scorer?
Background Image: Rasmus Hojlund and Ruben Amorim | Creator: Clive Brunskill | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Goal