Manchester United return to Premier League action against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon as Ruud van Nistelrooy continues in interim charge.
Manchester United fans will flock to Old Trafford for the second time in a matter of days this afternoon.
Chelsea visit United on Sunday, just days after Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the EFL Cup.
United sacked Erik ten Hag last week and Van Nistelrooy finds himself in a slightly strange situation.
Van Nistelrooy was brought back to United by Ten Hag and was thrown into the interim job after Ten Hag’s exit.
United have now confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag’s replacement, but he won’t join until later in November.
Ruud van Nistelrooy on Joshua Zirkzee development
Van Nistelrooy must therefore take charge of three more United games, starting with the clash against Chelsea on Sunday.
The former United striker has spoken to United’s official website ahead of facing the Blues and was asked about Joshua Zirkzee.
United signed Zirkzee from Bologna over the summer, paying around £36million to bring the striker to Old Trafford.
Zirkzee has only scored one goal for United though and questions have been asked about his suitability for the Premier League.
Van Nistelrooy has now moved to defend his fellow Dutchman though, suggesting that the striker has ‘a lot of talent’.
The interim United boss added that Zirkzee is just a different type of striker to Rasmus Hojlund and needs time to develop.
Van Nistelrooy highlighted an ‘excellent’ performance against Crystal Palace and predicts that Zirkzee will become a ‘very good player’ at Old Trafford.
“Josh is similar to Manuel Ugarte’s situation,” said Van Nistelrooy.
“Josh came in, he’s a young player with a lot of potential. He’s a typical number nine in the sense of his hold-up play is very good, he’s very strong in the combination play, he’s a different type than Rasmus. Rasmus is more of a nine that plays higher up on the pitch, getting in the back of defenders and Josh is more the one coming to the ball and getting the team playing.
“The Crystal Palace game, he was excellent, it was one of his best performances and showed his potential. Another one with a lot of talent. A good age, a lot of potential to develop, look after, give him time, he will get better and better and better, and I think also will be a very good player for this club,” he added.
Zirkzee needs time amid Juventus links
Zirkzee must have felt like he was on the road to becoming a United hero after his debut.
Coming off the bench against Fulham on the opening day of the season, Zirkzee scored the winner in front of the Stretford End.
Zirkzee was the hero of the moment but goals have been hard to come by since – and he has missed some decent chances in the process.
Now behind Hojlund in the pecking order, Zirkzee has been touted for a move to Juventus just months after leaving Italian football for the Premier League.
We don’t think that is necessary right now as Zirkzee just needs time and patience in order to really settle in at United and in the Premier League.
Zirkzee has talent on the ball; he may not be a lethal striker but he certainly has something to offer with his link-up play and skill on the ball.
Van Nistelrooy will hope to coax a clinical edge out of Zirkzee moving forward and if one of United’s finest ever goalscorers sees something in Zirkzee, perhaps he should be given time to show it.
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