Why Joshua Zirkzee is not starting for Manchester United vs Brighton

Manchester United face Brighton in their second Premier League game of the new campaign and new striker Joshua Zirkzee remains on the bench.

The Reds won their opening league fixture against Fulham last week. Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench and scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory.

Zirkzee, 23, looked sharp when he came on and provided a serious threat in the penalty area but also in the build-up. Both were apparent for his goal.

Erik ten Hag decided not to include the Dutch striker in the lineup for the game against Brighton, instead opting to keep the duel false nines of Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes.

Both Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho remain on the bench. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is not in the matchday squad after missing out against Fulham as well.

When conducting his pre-match interview with TNT Sports, the United boss was asked whether he was tempted to start Zirkzee in this game.

However, he explained the potential importance of the substitutes in these games and nicknamed them “finishers” rather than substitutes.

“We won last week, but [only] after we brought the subs [into the game],” the manager explained.

“And subs are always very important. You have starters, and you have finishers.”

That was evident last week, with two substitutes in Garnacho and Zirkzee linking up for the goal.

While the Dutch striker is still finding his feet at Old Trafford and getting to full fitness after several months of minimal game time, the manager seems to trust him to be an influential impact substitute.

The game against Brighton kicks off at 12:30 BST and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1.

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