Manchester United’s signing of 23-year-old Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee is good news for the club, but less so for United’s Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund. United had been keeping a close eye on the striker, who has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford in a transfer worth £36.5m from Bologna, for whom he was top scorer last season, helping the Italian club qualify for the Champions League.
United manager Erik ten Hag would be very happy if his new signing could replicate this with his new club, but the introduction of a well-thought of striker could reduce Rasmus Hojlund’s game time in the process. With that in mind, here are the reasons why Hojlund might be impacted by Zirkzee’s arrival.
Strong, Powerful and Skillful
Zirkzee enjoyed a breakout stint at Bologna
Although Dutch, Zirkzee is a product of the Bayern Munich academy, joining them as a teenager from Feyenoord. Although he struggled to make a real breakthrough in Munich, he did have an impact. In December 2019, Bayern were fifth, and drawing with Freiburg when Zirkzee was brought on in the last minute. He scored the winner. He netted in the following game, too – coming off the bench with seven minutes left. Bayern now had momentum.
Although Zirkzee would only feature in a further seven Bundesliga games that season, Bayern would go on to win the treble. His real breakthrough season came when on loan with Anderlecht during the 2021/22 campaign, in which he scored 18 goals in 47 games. This got the attention of Bologna, who he joined in 2022. His manager there has been hugely complimentary.
Talking to Football Italia, Bologna boss Thiago Motta compared Zirkzee to one of the greats of the game.
“He said that his idols are Ibrahimovic and Batistuta, who are two excellent players. Seeing him day to day, he reminds me of the Ronaldinho I played with at Barcelona, but I cannot compare him to anyone. He is Joshua, he is special, he enjoys his football and above all works very hard in training.”
Goals were hard to come by in his first season in Italy, with just two in 21 appearances. He was far more involved last season with 12 goals and 7 assists. At six foot four, Zirkzee has a commanding presence. To coin an old phrase, he has a good touch for a big man, known not just for his hold-up play, but his technical ability too. Far from just being a target man, Zirkzee is able and willing to make a variety of different runs, whether that be coming short, going wide or getting ahead of the ball. What does this mean, though, for Rasmus Hojlund?
Joshua Zirkzee’s Career Statistics | |
|---|---|
Club Appearances | 213 |
Club Goals | 83 |
Club Assists | 49 |
Netherlands Caps | 2 |
Natherlands goals | 0 |
New Arrival Threatens Hojlund’s Starting Place
It’s unlikely he will play 40 games plus again this season
This is a big investment for United, so it’s reasonable to believe that Zirkzee would play up front, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes just behind, but ultimately, Hojlund on the bench. Last season, the Danish striker was feeding off scraps, leading many to say he deserves far better service up front. Erik ten Hag has been vocal about the club’s need to buy more players. Last season, Hojlund played 43 games for Manchester United and has had many compliments from pundits on his quality as a player, even if that lack of service has prevented him scoring the amount of goals expected for a Manchester United striker.
It’s highly unlikely that Hojlund would be asked to play out wide. Unlike many players in the modern game, who are versatile, Hojlund is very much a centre-forward. While Zirkzee does offer competition, Erik ten Hag Talking to the Manchester United website, he believes Zirkzee will help bring out the best in his fellow attacking players:
“He is a player who can link up the game, who can be available, hold up the ball, have good ideas, be creative, can dribble. So that’s a different type and always what we are looking for, so it gives us more options tactically, which is good because, especially up front.”
While Zirkzee will play up front alone at times for United, there are other possible line-ups, where he could play alongside Hojlund up front. Or, Zirkee could even play as a 10 behind Hojlund. Either way, it is likely to reduce Hojlund’s game time, but in other ways it may increase his goal-scoring chances when he is on the field. What’s certain is that Manchester United will be more competitive.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee’s 2023/24 League Stats Compared | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistic | Hojlund | Zirkzee |
Minutes | 2,172 | 2,772 |
Goals | 10 | 11 |
Assists | 2 | 4 |
Shots per game | 1.3 | 2.5 |
Dribbles per game | 0.6 | 1.5 |
Aerials won per game | 0.8 | 0.9 |
Overall rating | 6.70 | 7.03 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt and WhoScored. Correct as of 17.07.24