Questions have been asked as to why Manchester United signed Joshua Zirkzee, claiming he was not suitable for the Premier League.
United spent £36.5m to sign the Dutch striker in the summer – overpaying his release clause at former club Bologna, making him their first signing of the INEOS era.
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He made a fast start to life in England, scoring a late winner on his Premier League debut to secure victory over Fulham on matchday one.
And while it may be too early to judge the 23-year-old too harshly, there is a growing feeling that it was a misguided move given his performances since then, having failed to get back into the net .
He did provide a crucial assist in the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce in the Europa League, but apart from his pass to goalscorer Christian Eriksen, he looked unconventional as United’s starting striker.
Zirkzee was given the nod to take over from Rasmus Hojlund against the Turkish giants, but didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on either side.
There was even a moment in the game when Garnacho looked visibly frustrated after Zirkzee took too long to pass the ball to him and missed a chance to score for Jose Mourinho’s side on the counterattack.
The Dutchman was replaced by Hojlund at the start of the second half and his lack of form has even led to rumors of a possible exit in the January transfer window.
And The Pitch Prospect’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook has questioned why the Red Devils signed the young star, particularly after a conversation he had with a manager of a rival Premier League team.
“It looks like another poor recruitment from Manchester United,” Crook said on the latest episode of The Pitch Prospect’s YouTube show Inside Devils.
“I remember speaking to a senior manager at a Premier League club who were much further down the food chain when this striker carousel was happening – Dominic Solanke and Ivan Toney were mentioned as players who could move to elite clubs.”
“And he said to me that Joshua Zirkzee wasn’t really suitable for the Premier League.
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“If someone at a bottom-half Premier League club can see that, then why on earth do Manchester United trust this guy?”
“He looks a bit clumsy. Rasmus Hojlund is still in the process of regaining full fitness and confidence and he looked much more effective at the top end of the pitch than Zirkzee when he came off the bench.”
However, Crook admitted United had put too much pressure on recent signings too soon after their big move to Old Trafford.
“The other problem we have, and this can also be said about Hojlund, is what United have done in the last two seasons, which is they have overused players before they were ready,” he added.
“It took a long time for Hojlund to find his feet in the Premier League last season but it almost borders on desperation to spend that money on a player and need an immediate dividend.”
“Real clubs don’t do it like that, do they?”
Manchester correspondent Laurie Whitwell also offered her Zirkzee assessment of the Inside Devils show, saying that the former Bayern Munich star does not currently possess the physical attributes required to succeed in England’s top flight.
“It might feel like a physical thing,” he said.
“His last season was in Italy and the pace of the league there is not as fast as the Premier League, which has had him on his heels a few times in league games this season.
“Which is strange because he started well and that’s what he did well against Fulham to get his first goal: he got into the box at the right time to score the goal.”
“But it just feels like he’s missing that spark, that initial acceleration to get into those positions.
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“United looked at Benjamin Sesko in the summer and they couldn’t get him, so they went for Zirkzee and the release clause played a role in that.”
“But you have to wonder how much they actually expect from this guy. He is an alternative to Hojlund, but at the moment it looks like it will take some time for him to reach the level United needs.”