Whenever I see "Big Z" I think about Zaalbar from KOTOR and then think that Zirkzee has not earned that nickname yet
11
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 20
- Goals
- 3
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 1
Where have you got 50 million plus from? He didn’t cost as much as that. We’ve signed a young player from a foreign league, they need time and patience to develop. The money hasn’t gone down the drain, just because he hasn’t made an immediate impact; the supporters of this club can be really deluded at times.
I do feel for him. Most our players end up with injuries meaning they get a pardon from putting in crap performances. He's had to actually play for us.
Another wet noodle at scoring like Weghorst and Antony... How tiresome..
He’s too slow for the PL. You could see it in his Bologna highlights. Can’t believe none of our scouts wouldn’t have flagged this as an issue and yet we still signed him. Hopefully he proves me wrong but I can’t see him working out for us.
That was also my biggest concern with him. If you're that slow you really need to excel in other areas and perhaps not play as a winger or a forward which he does... as you stated, I really hope he proves me wrong as well, but I also have a hard time seeing it
Weghorst and Antony at least brought/bring energy. That guy is killing me. Looks like he's sleepwalking half the time
Supporters have lost the ability to support..... Watch the fans ruin another players confidence. Honestly, you have to be a certain type of character to perform here and not fold under the (unnecessary) pressure.
Can't lie, it's fecking tedious watching it play out over and over again though
Can't lie, it's fecking tedious watching it play out over and over again though
Why is running coming across as so difficult for him.
If you’re playing for the biggest teams in the world, earn millions and take place for which tens of thousands of other footballers are fighting for, there’s always going to be pressure. We are not talking a teenager making his debut, but a 23 year old striker entering his prime, I find it a bit naive to expect a grown up player to be shielded from criticism
You're all fecking crazy.
We went ahead because we had a player who can play on the turn setting Garnacho's run up and then being in the right place and knowing to slow it down for the layoff to Eriksen.
The ball went to him about 4 times all game and that was one of them. Yeah, he's clearly way behind on fitness, and he's not enjoying himself anywhere near as much as he did when he was at Bologna. But I guess that's fine because we aren't really supporters anymore, are we? We're vitriolists, intent on spreading it everywhere, even if it's on a young striker in his first couple of months in a new country.
We went ahead because we had a player who can play on the turn setting Garnacho's run up and then being in the right place and knowing to slow it down for the layoff to Eriksen.
The ball went to him about 4 times all game and that was one of them. Yeah, he's clearly way behind on fitness, and he's not enjoying himself anywhere near as much as he did when he was at Bologna. But I guess that's fine because we aren't really supporters anymore, are we? We're vitriolists, intent on spreading it everywhere, even if it's on a young striker in his first couple of months in a new country.
I don’t think anyone thinks he can’t be criticized, but most of the posts are just degrading one liners or short, uninformed exclamations. There is certainly much more of that than ten years ago in general and this place is an especially harsh forum.
It’s quite irrelevant how much money they make or how privileged they are (and yes, they earn an insane amount of money and have extreme privileges). They are human beings and react as such which means that most of them play better when backed and worse when picked upon. It’s not about them, it’s about what’s best for the team - so the question is: Do you want Zirkzee to perform as well as he can? Then stop calling him names or writing him off after a few games. Criticism is fine, but that’s mostly not what’s being posted here - it’s just garbage like on social media.
I do worry if he can take it. Hojlund has had his fair share of s***, but he seems rather unbothered and in general more optimistic and confident than most.
Bro, you're chatting shit. We are not where we were and pretending we still are is not going to get us back there. Like everyone, we have to build a team to get there and sometimes, and with some players, it'll take a lighter touch and some coaching.... SAF new this.
Every time I see posts like yours where every signing is expected to come in and transform the team instantly, my eyes roll over a million times. 1 or 2 players are supposed to come in and transform this team? Hit the ground running and start putting up numbers? When's the last time that happened?
Fans create this artificial pressure cooker environment and then cry when players come here and don't make it...
That's your takeaway? Really? We've had about 20 pages saying he's shit and the one that offers a counter argument is the one you choose - not to engage with because god what a stress that would put on brain cell A and brain cell B - but to make a completely intangetal point on.
Yeah, that's it. The extent people will go to save face on the internet.
The extent people on the internet will go to be ... well, you.
This is just guesswork but I don't think he's a popular bloke in the dressing room. Even when he scored on his debut vs Fulham, only a couple of players initially went over to celebrate with him, prompting Martinez to wave his teammates over. I remember thinking it seemed odd at the time, especially for a 87th minute winner. It gave off 'new kid at school with no mates' vibe.
I am actually still pretty optimistic about this guy, but my optimism is entirely based on what I saw of him for Bologna.
This, for me, is the difference between Zirkzee and Hojlund. They've both had doubters, but, with Hojlund, I thought the doubters were being way too premature in their criticisms because, in my opinion, he showed a lot of promise almost straight away last season. He definitely had faults, but there were plenty of positives, too, so i didn't get people writing him off at all.
With Zirkzee, even though I'm still optimistic about him like Hojlund, I somewhat get the doubters here as you can't deny that there are worrying signs, and, bar a decent hour against Palace, he hasn't done much to impress. I was optimistic with Hojlund based on what I was seeing here, whereas with Zirkzee it's nearly all based on what I saw of him at Bologna, so I get the fans judging him purely off his United showings.
What I'm mainly keeping in mind is how barely anyone has looked that good under ten Hag bar Rashford's form in his first season. We're a bit of mess, so a new player who's also trying to adapt to a new league on top of that isn't going to have the best platform to perform. He very well may just not be good enough, but, personally, I want to see how he does playing under a more competent manager and in a better organised team before writing him off yet.
This, for me, is the difference between Zirkzee and Hojlund. They've both had doubters, but, with Hojlund, I thought the doubters were being way too premature in their criticisms because, in my opinion, he showed a lot of promise almost straight away last season. He definitely had faults, but there were plenty of positives, too, so i didn't get people writing him off at all.
With Zirkzee, even though I'm still optimistic about him like Hojlund, I somewhat get the doubters here as you can't deny that there are worrying signs, and, bar a decent hour against Palace, he hasn't done much to impress. I was optimistic with Hojlund based on what I was seeing here, whereas with Zirkzee it's nearly all based on what I saw of him at Bologna, so I get the fans judging him purely off his United showings.
What I'm mainly keeping in mind is how barely anyone has looked that good under ten Hag bar Rashford's form in his first season. We're a bit of mess, so a new player who's also trying to adapt to a new league on top of that isn't going to have the best platform to perform. He very well may just not be good enough, but, personally, I want to see how he does playing under a more competent manager and in a better organised team before writing him off yet.
Hojlund joined us as a teenager, everyone knew he was one for the future. He's also had really good bursts of form for us and - whilst he struggled to adapt (understandably) to the English league - we saw what he had in Europe.
Zirkzee is coming in with different expectations due to his age and what we need. And I'm not saying he needs to be an out and out striker with goal contributions every other game (this isn't much to ask for btw) but he shows next to nothing ability or mentality wise every game at this point.
We were desperately in need of bringing in a proper striker - someone who could bring goals, add to our threat and allow younger attackers around them to develop. I know the market is a bit limited in this regard but the likes of Toney, Solanke, Kane, Jackson, Osimhen, Isak and Morata have all moved clubs in the past couple of seasons. All would instantly improve us and have been better alternatives to Zirkzee imo.
Seems to be another mood player (or sunshine rather). I am sure he cam be good if everything clicks but we dont have that now
When will people realize that Zirkzee was not brought in to be a prolific goalscorer for us? He's a completely different type of player that can maybe develop into a good goalscorer in the future (long-term), because I do believe he has the tools for it, but he's not that kind of player now.
That's fine, however, because he wasn't playing that role for Bologna either, and United didn't buy him with the expectation that he will suddenly turn into something he's never been, straightaway on day 1.
He knows what he is, the club know what he is, it's only a large portion of fans that seemingly don't.
Also, we already have the goalscorer in Hojlund. Obi-Martin seems to be a great scorer too, who might already be primed to play a big part for us within 2-3 years' time, which means Zirkzee was a profile we were lacking in the squad, especially after Martial's departure.
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Well, clearly the club are lost in terms of their scouting because he was brought in to challenge Hojlund. If he wasn't then what a monumental mess the club has dug itself into yet again. They struggled to score goals last season and finished with a negative goal difference.
One striker for an entire season? A striker that relies on a purple patch than regular goal scoring. Secondly, this so called "Ibrahimovic" style rubbish which Zhirkzee is classified as is also ridiculous. He doesn't look creative in the final third either. His touch is loose and he lacks the intensity to make the difference. I'm not completely writing him off but the vultures are circling. If he doesn't step up in the next few games, he will be back in Bologna quicker than he runs across the Stretford End.
He was brought in because we were missing a player like him, as I said. I don't think it was to compete with Hojlund. It was to offer versatility mainly IMO.
Your thought process is flawed, because no striker would score a lot of goals in this struggling team and bad tactical setup, especially the ones who might've been attainable, like Osimhen or Gyökeres.
Also, I'm not sure who classified Zirkzee as an "Ibrahimovic style" player.
If he wasn't competing with Hojlund then why is Ten Hag sticking up top? He was not bought to compete as a 10 and he isn't good enough to be a link player. United needed goal scorers and creative players so disagree that the team was "missing" a player like him. He is not creating goals either. I think what we have here is another Mason Mount. People are struggling to define his role - in fact, he doesn't even know what role he excels at either given he calls himself a "half nine"
I'm specifically talking about Zhirkzee, not the team. The excuse of terrible team preventing him from scoring is nonsense as well. He has had tons of basic chances and fluffed his lines. The team doesn't prevent you from making runs, shooting properly, and controlling the ball properly. I pointed out Ibrahimovic because Zhirkzee compared his style to the likes of Zlatan.
People are overreacting with Zirkzee. Van Persie didnt score a lot before he came to Arsenal neither. Then developed slowly at Arsenal and became one of the best strikers to ever grace Premier League. Too early to rule Zirkzee out.
As you seem to have the inside scoop, what was he brought in for? What is he? What player profile that we’re missing does he fill?
The one recent opportunity we had to play him as a 10 behind a 9 because Bruno was suspended, we ended up playing a RB at 10 behind Zirkzee instead, so I’m struggling a little to what the point of him is.
We were missing a tall player.
In a nutshell, he's a "facilitator" that others around him, like Rashford, Garnacho, and Bruno can play off of, instead of being a pure goal scorer that's the furthest player up the pitch.
Which is what I don’t understand. He isn’t direct competition for Hojlund and with Bruno having just signed a new deal and being pretty much being undroppable, I struggle to see that he fits any profile that we actually need in the squad. Especially if he isn’t going to be played deeper with a proper 9 ahead of him. Our major issue is that we don’t score anywhere near enough goals, and he doesn’t seem to fix that as a scorer or a facilitator.
My concern is when you see things like Garnacho throwing a tantrum on the field just because Zirkzee didn’t play him in.
Zirkzee is clearly a bit low on confidence and struggling with the pace of the league - what he needs, and what the experienced players in the squad should be doing - is providing some encouragement and pulling him along with them.
Honestly the whole team dynamic and vibe on the pitch seems really off at times. Too many players just out for themselves.
Zirkzee is clearly a bit low on confidence and struggling with the pace of the league - what he needs, and what the experienced players in the squad should be doing - is providing some encouragement and pulling him along with them.
Honestly the whole team dynamic and vibe on the pitch seems really off at times. Too many players just out for themselves.
So a Firmino? But he lacks his technique, pressing, vision and nasty streak, and I was never even a fan of Firmino.
Where does this strange notion that he doesn’t have skills or technique come from? He’s pretty good on the ball and even in tight situations.
He's rubbish in the air though.
Can we not claim a player will come good without going to these ridiculous lengths. Robin Van Persie of all players to bring up.
Same with all managers needing a feck load of time just because of what happened with fergie.
I think he has some similarities to Firmino but they're definitely not like-for-like. I also don't think he lacks technique, tbf.
Also, I do think Zirkzee isn't getting enough goals and assists now, and his general performances haven't been great either, except for a few games in August and September. However, that is largely down to how dysfunctional the current tactical setup is, in my opinion. If he played in a great team, he would be able to have a bigger influence on our games, and would rack up more G/A. Although he's not a 30 G/A player at the moment, even if he played in a City/Arsenal level team. More like 15/20. But like I said, I think that's fine for now.
Can we not claim a player was a waste of money and a flop based on several games, some of which he was good in?
Nobody would need to defend Zirkzee by bringing up the likes of RvP if others weren't writing him off so prematurely
There is too much drama from both sides, the truth lies probably somewhere in the middle, it's true that Zirkzee has to show alot more than what he is showing now, it's also true that he needs time to adjust as well, both can be true and for me the jury is still out on him.
The overreactions on here are unwarranted.
Not both can be true, both are true. He has not shown why he was young player of the year in Italy just yet. He needs to show more but he should be allowed some time to adjust and show why he was bought. Onana was slaughtered and written off last year after he was only at the club for a few months. This season Onana has been amongst the best performing players in the squad.
Even if Zirkzee doesnt work out, i dont think the transfer in itself was a bad idea or something to blame INEOS for. Zirkzee looked talented in the Serie A, he is still quite young, he wasnt that expensive for a promising attacker and, after Martial left, we didnt have a player who plays in a false 9/dropping deep striker role.