Three ways Manchester United could line up with Joshua Zirkzee, including wildcard setup

Manchester United have completed a deal for Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee in the coming days after agreeing a fee with Bologna.

It has been confirmed that United will pay £35.7 million for the 23-year-old striker, who underwent his medical on Friday ahead of the move.

The Netherlands international will provide Erik ten Hag’s team with another option in the front line alongside the likes of Rasmus Højlund, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.

In this article, UtdDistrict have assessed three lineup options that Ten Hag could use with Zirkzee in the team this season.

4-2-3-1: Zirkzee lone-striker

Perhaps the most expected line-up will be Zirkzee playing as the centre-forward in Ten Hag’s preferred 4-2-3-1 setup. Højlund will come out of the team, with the Dutchman offering a different approach up front.

It is clear that Zirkzee has different tendencies and assets to the Dane. He will drop into spaces, link play and allow those wingers to attack the space he left.

Of course, this is something that both Rashford and Garnacho have done excellently during their careers so far and it would be likely that they flanked Zirkzee when he was playing centrally.

The Dutchman would also likely need to build a close relationship with Bruno Fernandes, who he would be linking play with when dropping into those deeper areas.

4-2-3-1: Zirkzee off the flank

Another option for Ten Hag is utilising Zirkzee off one of the flanks as a winger. It has been explained that United view the 23-year-old as a versatile forward.

However, this type of move would likely come in specific circumstances where Ten Hag wants to pack the middle of the pitch. We’ve seen before how he moves Fernandes out wide to then drift centrally, and this would likely be a similar setup.

Zirkzee does have better ability in wider areas than his Portuguese counterpart but he would certainly need an overlapping fullback and licence to drift into space in order for this setup to work smoothly.

4-2-4: Zirkzee & Højlund

Finally, when things aren’t going to plan or if United want to change their setup, Ten Hag will now have a serious option of playing a two-man strike force.

Zirkzee has already explained that he likes to play with another no.9, and it is also something that could benefit Højlund, who has often looked isolated when playing as a sole striker.

Don’t be surprised to see United move to a setup like this midway through games, with one of Zirkzee or Højlund coming off the bench.

The pair could be very complimentary as well, with Højlund’s pace causing a problem in behind the opposition line while Zirkzee drops into the hole and provides a link between the midfield and his strike partner.

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