Joshua Zirkzee addresses working under Erik ten Hag and “special” Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United

Joshua Zirkzee has opened up on how he feels as he gets to work as Manchester United’s new striker under Erik ten Hag and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

On Sunday afternoon, Manchester United confirmed the signing of Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee from Serie A club Bologna on a five-year contract until 2029.

It has been widely reported that Erik ten Hag‘s club paid around £36 million for the player, which was slightly above his release clause. United chose to pay the higher fee as it meant they could spread the payment across several seasons rather than £34 million upfront.

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Zirkzee has joined the club to compete with Rasmus Højlund at striker, but he is known for his ability to play across the front line. Standing 6 feet and 4 inches, he adds much-needed height to the club’s attack.

On Wednesday afternoon, the club published Zirkzee’s first official interview as a Manchester United player, in which he was asked how he feels about playing under Ten Hag.

“It’s an extra privilege, of course, because he’s Dutch, I’m Dutch as well,” Zirkzee told club media. “Besides that, it’s obviously not the only reason why I came here. I mean, Manchester United is a great, it’s a huge club.”

Further, Zirkzee was then asked how he feels about the prospect of working alongside legendary Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff.

“Yeah, having some Dutch people around obviously makes it (adapting) a bit easier. To be fair, I’m an easy-going person. I’m not too difficult with adapting. But yeah, it’s always nice to have them around.”

“How familiar are you with Ruud’s game?” was the next question asked.

“When I was younger, watching the Dutch national team, Manchester United. Yeah, he was one of the guys who you were pretending to be when you were playing out with your friends. So having him out here is obviously, yeah, it’s a bit special. But it’s great. It’s good.”

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