Alright, he's not only just arrived but having signed in July and played 15 games into his 5 years at the club, he's only just arrived.
I get it, there's no patience in the world today. If something isn't an instant success, it is a failure. If a footballer doesn't play like prime Zidane from the start, he's a waste, he should never play football again.
Hell, even if he does play like prime Zidane, the minute he doesn't, he's a failure.
I don't know, it seems that the world of football (and world in general) is filled with misery. Everyone just seems to be so negative and unhappy.
I feel like that's why we fail.
Anyway, sorry for getting a little deep there, but back to Zirkzee.
He is a 23-year-old striker from Bologna making his first big move in football. Coming to United at any stage of your career is a MASSIVE change and regardless of what you've done in the past, the enorminty and expectation at MUFC is off the charts.
So for an unproven, young, up-and-coming forward, that stress would be absolutely ridiculous.
On top of that, it's not as if he's coming into the most well run club in the world that's playing unbelievable football and winning multiple trophies.
We're Shit!
This does play a factor into a player's development and comfort when entering a new club.
The team was also unsettled over the many years of toxicity. We also brought in a few new recruits (a couple of which aren't entirely unknown to Zirkzee in Mazraoui and De Ligt as they played together at Bayern) so to have all of these factors, it won't make things easy for any new signing let alone one so young.
With Rasmus Hojlund also being out of action for the early part of the season, it fell on Zirkzee's shoulders to be the man up front that would do the business.
And do the business he did,
for one game at least.
His substitute appearance against Fulham was pretty good as he picked up a goal on his debut that was a proper striker's finish. Whilst that has been his only goal this season, some of his following performances led us all to believe that maybe we have a player here.
He might not be the out-and-out goal scorer (which is something he said we shouldn't expect from him as that isn't his style) but his false 9 approach gave us something that we haven't had at United in a while. His dynamism gave us an extra dimension to our game leading many to think that once Hojlund returns (a player who is more clinical up front) why not try the two of them together?
Play Zirkzee slightly deeper in that number 10 position and drop Bruno who has been poor for a while. Zirkzee's more simple approach to the game could work better compared to that of Bruno's more flamboyant style.
But as we know, Bruno is never going to be dropped so that dream what's the point in even discussing those prospects?
While all of this is in defence of Zirkzee, admittedly, he has been a little bit shite.
After his goal against Fulham and subsequent good performances at Southampton and Palace, for some reason, it looks like his confidence has dropped completely.
A lot of his football basics has gone out the window as he struggles to hold the ball up, link up the play, pass, control, shoot.
I suppose in a way, it is like he'd never seen a football before 😐.
I believe that all of this is down to confidence rather than lack of ability. I don't think that Zirkzee is completely useless as whether Erik ten Hag wanted him or not (as reported by The Sun), there is clearly a player in there.
His previous manager Thiago Motta didn't say he reminded him of Ronaldinho for no reason.
Zirkzee is clearly at a low in his career as a footballer at the moment, at least that's the way it appears to me when I look at him on the field.
He doesn't look like a player who believes in himself to be able to do anything. When he makes a mistake, there is no reaction, there is no anger. He just sorts of gets on with it.
I still back him, I still believe in him. Maybe he's just having a tough start to life at one of the biggest clubs in the world as a 23-year-old 🤷.
It will take time. We shouldn't be judging him so quickly.
Background Image: Joshua Zirkzee | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal