‘It’s supposed to be fun’ – Zirkzee explains style of play ahead of first Premier League season
Joshua Zirkzee aims to hit the ground running at Manchester United by producing the same level of performance he managed at Bologna last season.
The Netherlands international is preparing for his debut Premier League campaign, after missing pre-season due to his involvement at the European Championship in Germany earlier this summer.
Zirkzee scored 11 goals and registered five assists for Bologna last term. That form led United to launch a pursuit of the 23-year-old, who is looking forward to make an instant impression in English football.
“I want to play a pure game,” Zirkzee said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “Nutmegs, chops and back heels are moments that belong in football. That style has value for me. It’s the soccer kid in me because it’s supposed to be fun too, isn’t it? You have to pick the right moments. It’s intuition.
“I think I have excellent skills. I spent a lot of time on that as a kid. But if I lose the ball, I want to regain it immediately with the team. But the fancy footwork is part of my game at the end of the day.
“I occasionally drop down to midfield. I don’t do that for myself but to help the team. I am what I call a false striker. Not a No 9, not a No 10. I am a 9.5! That’s my game. Maybe I’m a little different than others. But being different is good, right?”
The injury suffered by Rasmus Hojlund on pre-season means United will be without the Danish striker for the start of the upcoming campaign. That means Zirkzee is likely to be tasked with leading the line if Marcus Rashford is kept out wide.
There will be possibilities to play both Hojlund and Zirkzee in the same team this season, which is something I am excited about because it has been a long time since we’ve seen United play with two strikers.
We’re looking forward to seeing Zirkzee in action this season.
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