Joshua Zirkzee handed Manchester United boost after five month wait, it’s key to improved form

Manchester United fans have been impressed by Joshua Zirkzee’s turnaround in form after his initial struggles earlier this season.

Joshua Zirkzee joined Manchester United from Bologna in the summer transfer window for a reported £34 million fee.

The 23-year-old forward was viewed as an exciting signing and got off to the best possible start at Old Trafford, scoring a last-minute winner on his debut against Fulham.

However, in the following weeks and months, Zirkzee seemed to lose the trust of the fans and managers – both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.

The Dutchman was struggling to deal with the intensity of the Premier League and his dire form even led to rumours about a possible January exit despite having only joined the club several months beforehand.

It seemed to get to a boiling point when Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee in the first-half against Newcastle at the end of December. He was booed by areas of the Old Trafford supporters and looked emotional.

Since that moment though, the young forward has fought to be part of the side and managed to win back a lot of the faith of the fanbase with some impressive performances. He looks like he’s getting used to the speed of play in England.

Zirkzee handed United boost after five month wait

It isn’t exactly a coincidence that Zirkzee’s levels have improved in recent weeks.

While the 23-year-old was unable to show a lot of promise in his opening months, that was also due to inconsistent game-time making it more difficult to adapt.

Zirkzee had only started three matches in a row once for the club before this recent run of games. It was back in mid-September and he was substituted in every one of those games – one being at half-time.

Even after some promising performances off the bench since then, Zirkzee has had to wait patiently to get some consistent opportunities in the team. He has started the last three games, playing 90 minutes in two of those and 89 minutes in the third.

That five month wait would have been difficult for Zirkzee, but we are seeing the benefits of consistent football in real time with the summer signing, who now looks physically and mentally prepared to compete in the Premier League.

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With the current injury problems in the squad, it is likely that Zirkzee continues to start games and build momentum. While the team’s form hasn’t been great, the improvements from the Dutchman have been a rare positive to take.

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