Manchester United transfers: ‘Ibrahimovic-esque’ Joshua Zirkzee showing signs of promise | OneFootball

Manchester United have made their first signing for the 2024/25 season with Joshua Zirkzee joining from Bologna.

The 23-year-old Dutch forward has signed a five-year contract with the option to extend for a further 12 months, in a deal worth £36.54m.

Zirkzee’s last contract with Bologna included a €40m (£33.6m) release clause, but the Red Devils agreed on a slightly increased price to pay the fee over three years to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.

He also becomes the first signing for the men’s team since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a co-owner by purchasing a 27.7% stake in the club last December.

Zirkzee, the 2023/24 Serie A Under-23 Player of the Year, stated that it was “a privilege to join such an iconic club” and he feels “ready for this next challenge, to take my career to another level and win more trophies”.

Dan Ashworth, the new sporting director of Man Utd, made it known that expanding manager Erik ten Hag’s forward options was a priority while describing Zirkzee as “an outstanding talent who was ready to make an impact for Manchester United”.

He added that Zirkzee’s “ability and desire to grow into a world-class player means that he will be a great addition to the squad that we are building for the exciting season ahead and beyond”.

Ten Hag saw Anthony Martial leave in June after his contract expired. Rasmus Hojlund, signed for £72m from Atalanta in 2023, scored 16 goals in 43 appearances during his first season at the club. However, the Danish striker lost his starting position by the end of the season as Bruno Fernandes was favoured in a false-nine role during their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May.

Given the success of this new 4-2-2-2 formula, Ten Hag may very well begin the new season retaining it, allowing the possibility of a Zirkzee-Hojlund axis. This could also open up the possibility of Man Utd switching to a back three as a means to improve their defensive record, which proved very damaging last term.

But they also had issues further up the pitch, with Hojlund and Fernandes Man Utd’s top Premier League scorers on 10 goals each — the latter netting four of his from the penalty spot.

Zirkzee — who made his first two senior international appearances for Oranje at Euro 2024 this summer — was Bologna’s top goalscorer last season with 12 in call competitions, 11 of which came in Serie A as he helped his club to a shock Champions League qualification. They are steady numbers, but it’s fair to say the Netherlands international hasn’t yet fully delivered on the immense talent and acclaim from his days as a teenager at Bayern Munich.

However, given Hojlund’s patchy form last season, there is an opening at Old Trafford for Zirkzee if he hits the ground running. That’s exactly what the 23-year-old is aiming to do.

“Having had discussions with the manager and the leaders of the club I know how exciting the future is going to be here and I cannot wait to play my part in achieving success for Manchester United,” he told the Man Utd website upon signing. “I am a player who has always dedicated everything to winning; I’m ready for this next challenge, to go to another level in my career and win more trophies.

“It is a privilege to join such an iconic club. I have to take a short break now after being with the national team, but I’ll be coming back ready to make an impact straight away.”

Of course, you’re not going to compare Zirkzee to the likes of Erling Haaland, but his numbers are promising when you look at other Big Six forwards — even though he doesn’t come out on top in any metric.

Aside from Darwin Nunez who is leagues above in shots and shots on target of our selected quintet, Zirkzee is pretty similar. He averaged 1.9 shots and 1.1 shots on target per 90 minutes in Serie A last season, slightly more than Kai Havertz for both but just less than Nicolas Jackson, Son Heung-min and Nunez. He also averaged the least goals per 90 at 0.4, and 11 in total, matching Nunez albeit with significantly more minutes.

Zirkzee matched Jackson for assists per 90 minutes at 0.2, but that was half of Nunez and Son’s average. Son was the most creative of the quintet too, averaging 2.1 chances created per 90 minutes, with Zirkzee’s average at 1.4.

The Dutchman is a good dribbler, however, with his 1.7 take-ons completed per 90 minutes bettered only by Jackson’s 1.8. And it was a fairly spread out metric, with Havertz and Nunez averaging 0.6 and 0.7 respectively, while Son averaged 1.2 per 90.

There’s definitely reason for Man Utd fans to be optimistic, if Zirkzee continues to grow.

Last season, he became the youngest Dutchman to score a brace in the Serie A since Patrick Kluivert for Milan in 1998 (21 years and 229 days old). Zirkzee ended the season with 12 goals in 37 appearances, helping Bologna claim a surprise place in the 2024/25 Champions League.

His performances earned him praise from rival coaches, with Torino’s boss declaring that in certain movements, the Dutchman reminds him of Zlatan Ibrahimović.

“It’s a great compliment. It’s not so usual to see a tall centre-forward with good technique,” Zirkzee subsequently told Corriere della Sera. “I don’t want to appear presumptuous, I thank Juric: but yes, I’ll see you again.”