Manchester United are keen on Joshua Zirkzee but one Belgian reporter feels that the £35 million-rated Bologna striker is perfectly suited to the Red Devils’ Premier League rivals Man City.
As Filip Joos found himself dripping and shivering at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara – the rain tumbling down from above – the visiting reporter must have wondered why he had subjected himself to such misery. But then Joshua Zirkzee made it all worthwhile.
The £35 million-rated Manchester United linked striker – one of the breakout talents in European football this season – produced the sort of performance Serie A fanatics have become accustomed to in front of Joos’ watchful eye.
And while he was unable to add to an impressive tally of eight goals and four assists during Bologna’s 1-1 draw with Genoa, Joos’ journey from Belgium to Italy certainly was not wasted after witnessing Zirkzee’s supreme technical gifts first-hand.
Manchester United like Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee
“Seeing Bologna at work with Joshua Zirkzee was the reason for my trip,” Joos tells Sporza.
“Really, the talent was oozing. He didn’t score a goal, one because the rest of the team did not see it or could not capitalise on (their chances). But those actions made my trip worth it.
“Now, everyone will pay attention to him so I fear that his numbers will decrease a bit.
“But Zirkzee is really the real deal for me. He is actually a player for Manchester City, that type of football. Someone who makes the rest of the team play better.”
According to German publication Sport1, there is interest not from City but from Manchester United in the one-time Bayern Munich forward.
Zirkzee may not have made the grade at the Bundesliga champions but, at the age of just 22, his performances at Bologna go some way to explaining why he was so highly regarded in the Allianz Arena dressing room, Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich among those to speak in glowing terms about Zirkzee’s potential.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic comparisons
“It has been clear for some time that he is a strong player,” Torino coach Ivan Juric told Tuttomercatoweb after Zirkzee turned on the style against his Granata side in November.
For Juric, Zirkzee possesses an elegance and a swagger reminiscent of one Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Those who are good (coaches), take these talents, cultivate them and manage to make them explode. In some moves, I see Ibra again,” the Croatian added.
“He is an atypical striker who also manages to score many goals.”
With funds tight at Old Trafford for the time being, Zirkzee is likely to be an option Manchester United revisit in the summer.
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