Ed Woodward, for better or worse loved bigger names, so would have likely gone for Osimhen last summer, and probably tried harder for Kane the summer before.
Hojlund or Zirkzee as first choice striker?
- Thread starter Walrus
- Start date
Some interesting takes in this thread. Frankly surprised anyone chose Zirkzee. Wondering if people have changed their minds after the Newcastle game?
hojlund. He is actually a striker. Unfinished product, but is a striker.
They are both crap. I'm truly shocked we spent £120m on these 2.
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Zirkzee was from Bologna.
Both were prospects and ones for the future. Radcliffe did say we were going to sign players who can become marquee players rather than sign marquee players. That strategy comes with a risk. For me, I didn’t them as someone we should sign, but obviously someone saw something in them. Hopefully they can go on to achieve something here, but I suspect they might end up moving on.
I said something similar in a different thread (I think it was the 3-4-3 one but I'm not sure).
Fecking daft as we was, Woodward at least seemed to have stumbled headfirst into the basic understanding that having a few players who have proven themselves to be at the top of the game and in their prime years can to some extent bail you out even if there's no real cogent strategy behind the squad you've built.
Arnold and Murtough took Woodward's bad strategy and made it much worse by spending similarly large sums of money but this time on players who hadn't even proven themselves (Antony and Hojlund) or were well past their prime (Casemiro). So now, we're at a point where not only is the squad badly put together, but we don't even have peak-level players who are way above average for the league who can bail us out against the weaker sides at least.
Spot on. Neither are nowhere good enough. One is not even a striker, and the other just spends his time being wrestled to the ground.
What is he then he can't score goals so explain what he is ?
He's a striker. Exactly what you said he was. Is he particular good currently? No. That's about it.
Preferably neither
Arguably the worst striking options in the league...a lad who's not really a CF and a struggling kid who's talented but raw.
No surprise we're performing badly really. No legs in midfield. No goal threat.
No surprise we're performing badly really. No legs in midfield. No goal threat.
'Talented' at what exactly? I'd say he's a decent finisher. But his touch alternates between trampoline and stuck-under-his-feet, making him take too many touches. His movement and hold-up play are poor, and he has no aerial threat. He always wants to be touch-tight with defenders, yet is neither explosive nor strong enough to get away from them or manoeuvre them like a Drogba.
Compare him to his agemate Liam Delap, whom I'd call raw but more talented because he has more to work with.
Still think the wingbacks are the massive issue re: attacking. Amorim needs aggressive ball-carriers there. We don't have that if Amad or Antony aren't playing there.
I think both of them would thrive in a two man striker formation. They both seem to need someone to tap the ball to. None of them are able to play hold up, even if they are really big lads.
Until we get someone new in, it’s still Højlund as first choice for me. Positives relative to Zirkzee is that he presses better, and actually has scored a few quality goals here.
But we won’t get far with either, that’s clear.
But we won’t get far with either, that’s clear.
of course he's talentedTalented?
Whilst I don’t think either of these are good enough to draw a line, let alone lead a line, the service they get playing up front for United this season is non existent. This new system is not creating enough decent chances. If we had a budget to buy players, I would be focusing on our left side and GK before we bought a new striker.
Hojlund by far.
I keep waiting for Hojlund to come good, but his link up play is so bad. He is probably not ready for premier league football, should of stayed at Atalanta another season and developed his game. Zirkzee is a striker that only fits a certain system. Why he looked so good under Motta. A decent Striker is a position with have struggled with for a long time. Why have been relying on Wingers hitting purple patches. Now they are all out of form it’s alarming where we could finish this season as I can’t see where the goals will come from
He's a very good finisher. Cool and composed infront of goal, we've seen this many times when he's put through on goal or manufactures a shooting opportunity.
His touch isn't poor, it's inconsistent, probably because he is currently too preoccupied wrestling and battling. He'll learn in time (with a good coach) how to make a yard of space without pulling, tussling and grabbing, which only serves to play into the hands of the CB.
He also takes too many touches in general, which can be coached out of him. Again, this needs one on one work with good coaches.
I don't know a huge amount about Delap. I have only seen 90mins vs us, in which he missed a very simple chance, and Arsenal, where he barely touched the ball. He has scored 12 in 68 in the Championship before this season, whilst Hojlund managed 16 in 43 last season playing in the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League...for a bit of perspective.
Both can be talented players also...there aren't too many lads play as a lone CF in the PL at 21 nowadays
Zirkzee, along with Garnacho or Rashford (if he stays), might create goal-scoring opportunities. Højlund's technical limitations have made it difficult for him to connect with anyone so far.
They're both rubbish. Even the current Welbeck is better than both of them.
Personally doubt that. I keep bringing this up: there was a game where I could see Amorim telling him before the half started to curve his run away from the defender. He hardly did it.
I think the need to wrestle is instinctive. There've been a couple of times when the ball is on the ground, within playing distance, and rather than e.g. a bounce pass to spin behind, he elects instead to back into a defender to keep him away from the ball while he decides what to do with it or something. Baffling.
Saw Delap against Chelsea and he was very good. The very fact that I can sit here with a straight face and say there's no daylight between the starting CF for Man United and that for Ipswich is damning.
Probably Rashford
Neither …both need replacing
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it could get worse than Woodward. The stooges were not fit for the role and shifted all their responsibility for building the team to ETH under the moniker of backing the manager. We never actually had a PL ready striker shortage before now. It should be almost impossible to not accidentally stumble on one after spending half a billion. I actually feel sorry for anyone having to fix this and see why everyone is getting sacked. Many innocents paying for some of Murtough and Arnold's decisions.
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Looks like some posters want Woodward back
Since then, we have spent £288m on Antony, Mount, Casemiro, and Hojlund alone. Four players who can't, or have no business, even playing in this league.Looks like some posters want Woodward back
It makes the £80m he spent on Maguire look like a work of inspired genius.
All those were bought under Murtough, who was promoted by Woodward; and overseen and sanctioned by Arnold, who came up with Woodward under the Glazers. So really, it's more of the same. Bean-counters and their hired lackeys, none of whom has any business running a football club, but doing everything one expects of the underqualified. How's that so difficult to see?
It's not that we want him back, it's that his successor bewilderingly managed to do an even worse job than he did.Looks like some posters want Woodward back
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Rock or a Hard Place?
Saying Woodward was better than Woodward Jr isn't some gold star in his name. We missed the opportunity to get a real CEO back then and the new manger, CEO, owner and long term employees are having to pay for it. We're now righting the ship but it went way too far off course.Looks like some posters want Woodward back
Amorim should come up with a system with no clear striker until we buy a proper one.
Hojlund by a distance. His profile is ideal for Amorin, but he is too experienced and needs to work on his link up play. He runs all day and battles (usually solely) with CBs.
Much improvement needed, but he is only a kid and will be an asset to us in the long run
Much improvement needed, but he is only a kid and will be an asset to us in the long run
Domestic home games and European games Hoijlund is better but he it absolutely terrible in domestic away games and I don't think he's scored in one this season so maybe Zirkzee should play in them
Agree! The lesser of two weevils.
Honestly just stick Garnacho there and be done with it. At least he'll run the channels and be a pest. For all the pace Højlund is supposed to have, he never really looks like he's getting away from anyone.
garnacho is lightweight and rather short. He's a terrible fit for a CF
Definitely wouldn't be the same type of target man, but he'll not stop moving and provide opportunities for passes into space behind the opponents defence. Højlund is a weird one as on occasion he's imperious and the rest of the time he looks league 2 level
You start with Hojlund and you wish you started with Zirkzee. You start with Zirkzee and you wish for Hojlund. You start both and you wish you had neither.