After scoring against Crystal Palace in Manchester United’s 2-1 win, Rio Ferdinand has spoken about how Joshua Zirkzee can change his mindset and keep battling for a starting spot.
Manchester United strengthened Rúben Amorim’s squad over the summer with several key first-team additions.
The club entered the transfer window with a clear objective: to fix last season’s issues in front of goal. After scoring only 44 Premier League goals in the previous campaign, United committed £214 million to a complete overhaul of their attacking options.
Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha were brought in to form a new-look frontline, while Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Jadon Sancho all departed Old Trafford.
Joshua Zirkzee was one of the few forwards to remain. The Dutch striker had impressed in the latter stages of last season before an injury stalled his progress. Up until United’s shock 1-0 loss to Everton, the striker had been limited to just 82 league minutes this season.
However, with Šeško sidelined by an injury, the Dutchman has started the club’s last two games, completing both matches and scoring against Crystal Palace.
Zirkzee has to seize his opportunity
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the legendary United centre-back said Zirkzee needs regular gametime and that he can shift his mindset to give himself a greater chance of playing more for the club.
“I think he needs to play continuously,” Ferdinand explained. “He did that when he was in Italy, and he looked a much better player, albeit in a different league.
But he still had to score goals and be effective in the games, and he was. But the difference in that he was playing week in week out and knew that he was going to be playing. And that’s the difference here.
“I don’t think he believes he’s going to play even if he scores a few goals on the run. I think he would be sitting there and go If Šeško’s out for another three games, and [Matheus] Cunha’s out for another three games, and I do well, if they’re fit, they’re probably going to come in and play, that’s what he’s probably thinking.
“And I think that’s where the staff come in, and maybe leading players come in where they have that conversation with him to build that confidence and that belief that this is an opportunity for you, right?
“There’s a space there. If someone comes and grabs it and really makes it hard for the manager, you’ve got a chance to stay in, genuinely. These are the conversations that you need.”
Zirkzee is a valuable asset to Man Utd
Joshua Zirkzee’s time at Man Utd hasn’t been easy, joining the club under Erik ten Hag, only for the Dutch manager to be replaced by Amorim a few months after joining.
Throughout his time at the club, he has never really had a real opportunity to establish himself in the side. When given a starting run for United, he picked up an unlucky injury as he was building momentum, which saw him miss the rest of the season and pre-season.
Now playing second fiddle to Šeško, rumours of a January exit have appeared, with Roma emerging as front-runners, with Zirkzee wanting a move away to get more game time ahead of the World Cup in the summer.
As United’s new striker is now injured and AFCON is approaching, United will be severely short of depth should the Dutchman leave the club in January. Given United’s busy Christmas schedule, with midweek league fixtures, the 24-year-old still has a big part to play going into the second half of the season.
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