Manchester United’s £35 million summer signing Joshua Zirkzee knows all too well what went wrong for him during the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Hungary on Friday.
Speaking after Denzel Dumfries rescued a point for a Dutch side who played the final 15 minutes with ten men following Virgil van Dijk’s record card, the Manchester United striker admits he struggled against a tightly-packed Hungary backline.
Joshua Zirkzee found it ‘difficult’, to quote the man himself, against a team who pressed aggressively and kept the gaps closed.
His manager concurs. Ronald Koeman admits Zirkzee had ‘a very hard time’ at the Puskas Arena.
After losing his place in Manchester United’s starting XI recently – Rasmus Hojlund was preferred against Porto and Aston Villa – the reigning Serie A Young Player of the Year has hardly nailed down a starting berth on the international stage either.
Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee must become a ‘killer’ for Netherlands
Ajax powerhouse Brian Brobbey got the nod as the Netherlands took on old rivals Germany on Monday night.
And while that attacking reshuffle did not have the required results – Koeman’s team drawing a blank – the fact is that, as a striker for both Man United and the Dutch national team, the weaknesses in Zirkzee’s game will no longer be allowed to go under the radar.
“Of all the players, I thought [RB Leipzig’s Xavi] Simons and Zirkzee were the least effective,” Peeper, capped by the Oranje in 1990, told De Telegraaf after that Hungary clash. “You can draw the conclusion; Zirkzee is not a killer in the box.
“I have my doubts. This striker made his best moves and goals at Bologna where he was often given space and where they did not play in the opponent’s half against big Italian clubs.
“At Manchester United and the Dutch national team, he often plays in the opponent’s half. And then it is full [there is no space].
“That is not his strength. I thought he played poorly [against Hungary]. I did not see him enough where he had to be there, and he still has to prove himself for the Dutch national team.”
Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart gives Zirkzee advice on how to improve
Concerns over Zirkzee’s ruthlessness have emerged during his first few months at Man United too.
The former Bayern Munich starlet is yet to find the net since Zirkzee scored the winner on his Man United debut against Fulham.
And it’s not as if Zirkzee has been short of chances either. A man who scored only 11 times for Bologna last term, hardly prolific even during his most sparkling form, missed big opportunities against the likes of Liverpool and Southampton.
“I saw a match where he was very good. He has everything, but he misses a kick up his backside,” Dutch icon Rafael van der Vaart told NOS, feeling that Zirkzee would benefit from a bit more aggression and a ‘killer instinct’.
“You see Brian Brobbey. Imagine playing against Brobbey [in comparison to Zirkzee]. You would have a very unpleasant afternoon or evening.
“Does Zirkzee really have the absolute will to score thirty goals every season? He never gets into the penalty area,” former Ajax midfielder Theo Janssen adds. “He is a great footballer and he plays fantastic football.
“But you are also judged on the goals you score, and he doesn’t score that many.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
