What to expect from Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United

Manchester United have confirmed their first signing of the summer, with Joshua Zirkzee arriving from Bologna for around £34m.

The Dutchman is reported to have signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford, adding to United's striking options following the departure of Anthony Martial.

Rasmus Hojlund was brought in for around £64m last year but had a mixed first term in Manchester. United were enormously disjointed under Erik ten Hag last season and it was perhaps not the best environment for a young striker to flourish in. Indeed, it took Hojlund 15 Premier League games to open his account but the floodgates then opened, scoring seven goals in six games before being struck down by injury, halting his momentum.

Hojlund ended his campaign with a modest 10 goals at 0.42 goals per 90, but United will hope that the Dane can thrive in an adapted setup.

Hojlund strengths lie in the 18-yard box, with impressive predatory instincts, finishing and pace, but his link-up play was often lacking, and that's where Zirkzee comes in.

Joshua Zirkzee strengths

Zirkzee excels at dropping deep to link up play and has excellent technical ability and touch to be a viable creative outlet. Zirkzee is also a more than capable dribbler, whose close control and pace allow him to carry the ball upfield. While Zirkzee and Hojlund are both centre-forwards with most sides these days only playing one frontman, their skill sets complement each other nicely, and they could dovetail well.

As well as his technical abilities, Zirkzee's height - standing at 6ft4in - and good pace make him a physical presence in the final third.

Joshua Zirkzee weaknesses

While Zirkzee's profile is certainly exciting for Manchester United fans, signing a tall, pacey forward who can dribble and pass, he's not the complete package, and will require good coaching to aid his development, which is hopefully where new coach and former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy can come in.

Despite his height, Zirkzee isn't the strongest in the air, and his lack of goalscoring prowess is something that probably needs to be addressed. Zirkzee only managed 11 goals for a side that qualified for the Champions League last season in Bologna, and he only has 39 league goals in 139 league appearances across spells with Bayern Munich (first and second team), Parma, Anderlecht and Bologna.

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