Joshua Zirkzee’s two games against Newcastle this season perfectly showcase his turnaround at Manchester United so far.
Manchester United signed Joshua Zirkzee for around £35 million in the summer transfer window and he got off to the perfect start by scoring a late winner against Fulham on his debut.
However, things quickly turned sour for Zirkzee, who was not getting consistent game-time and looked off the pace in the Premier League.
It all came to a boiling point at Old Trafford in late-December where the Dutchman was substituted in the first-half against Newcastle and was booed by sections of the fanbase. It seemed like his United career was ending before it had barely started.
But the 23-year-old has shown resilience and quality since that point to turn fan opinion around and four months later he is viewed as one of the team’s most important players.
In fact, his latest appearance against Newcastle was unfortunate in a completely different context. He suffered an injury which will rule him out of the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final clash with Lyon and many fans are gutted about that.
Zirkzee’s turnaround has not only been down to his grit and determination to turn things around, but also the fanbase sticking with him and supporting after that game in December.
Zirkzee breaks silence on United fan support
The United forward has broken his silence on that difficult period in the latest edition of Inside United, in an interview conducted last month.
Speaking about the support he has received from fans since that first Newcastle outing, Zirkzee has stated that it “motivates” him to improve.
“Of course, it wasn’t the best period,” he said. “We all know what happened and for the fans to stand behind me, like they did back then, was maybe even a relief.
“For them to show that they’re not giving up on me. To just show that they’re still behind me. As I said before, it just motivates you a lot. It motivates you.
“I think we’ve seen, against Real Sociedad, when we got 1-0 behind, the fans just kept going. That atmosphere that they can create, it’s something you won’t find anywhere else on this planet. It’s amazing what people on the outside of the pitch can do for the people on the pitch as well.”
Amorim provides Zirkzee injury latest
Of course, that interview was conducted before Zirkzee’s recent injury setback and it will be difficult for United to play without him against Lyon.
The Dutchman pulled up with what looked to be a hamstring injury and Amorim confirmed afterwards that he will be “out for some games”.
“Josh, I think he will be out for some games. So, let’s focus on the next one [against Lyon],” the United boss told club media.
Rasmus Højlund is currently the only available striker for United’s European games as young centre-forward Chido Obi is not eligible to play in the competition.
Further updates on Zirkzee’s situation are expected in the coming days and United fans will hope that it is not serious enough to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
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