He'll be a good squad player I guess but I still don't understand why we're not in for Toney tbh. It is what it is. Also, being 6'4 and not good in the air doesn't fill me up with hope on his physicality in dealing with prem defenders.
Joshua Zirkzee | signed for Manchester United
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Zirkzee and Nistelrooy will be chatting away in Dutch while Hojlund will be a few feet away playing guitar on his leg
Cause Toney will cost more than twice what Zirkzee is costing. Not to mention wages. Plus Toney has to start every game as a #9. He isn’t versatile same as Hojlund. But Zirkzee is. He can across the attacking mid role or a #9 and is willing to be a squad player, which means not playing every week. You also want Holjund to continue developing. If Toney comes in they need to share time which isn’t best for his development. The more he plays the better he gets.
Disagree with you there. With Toney we're guaranteed at least 15-20 goals in the league. He's proven in England and has the ability to start and be our most important focal point in attack. United have always signed the leagues best strikers when available and Toney is available. Hojlund can become an understudy until he's ready. I don't get the need for another potential attacking mid considering we have Bruno and spent 60m last season on another one, Mainoo and Eriksen can also fill in in attacking mid. I think our squad is in dire need of goals but yet again we are looking to bring in an inexperienced unproven Serie A striker and then come January when we still have a negative goal difference people will wonder why.
If us and Bayern are still working out the price for De Ligt, might be worth pointing out there are due another 20 million or so from this deal 
The release clause and sell on clause really have Bologna in a pretty poor place in fairness to them.
The release clause and sell on clause really have Bologna in a pretty poor place in fairness to them.
With you there my friend.
I'd sign Toney as my first signing then figure out the rest. I genuinely believe he would be a world class striker at a top side and people underestimate what having one of those instantly does for a side.
I wonder how much the age limit we put in prevents the Toney signing. He's only 28, so not exactly geriatric but they said exceptions on only very rare cases to the policy.
He's also great for a counter attacking team like Brentford (and United too tbf) but I wonder how he'll do if we manage to camp out in the opposition half.
Who did we spend 60m on?
Toney has scored 20 Premier League goals exactly once, scoring 6 penalties. Which means you can take 6 goals off Bruno Fernandes' tally. He's in no way a guaranteed 15-20 goal player. He's scored 20 open play goals in 2 and a half Premier League seasons.
He has scored 7, 14, and 4 goals in the PL without pens, and we have Bruno Fernandes who is one of the best penalty takers in the world.
Toney in absolutely no way guarantees us (or any other team with a player who would take penalties before him) 15-20 league goals.
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Excited about this signing. The lad is good with his feet and hard working. I'd be inclined to believe a fitter, more hardworking if slightly less talented version of martial.
I was incredibly tired of seeing have been strikers at united such as zlatan and cavani and refreshing to see a young and talented forward who gives the ability to change the dynamic of the game with one substitution. He does not cost much and won't be a big drain on resources, not to mention won't hinder the development of Rasmus.
Cafe haters gonna hate
I was incredibly tired of seeing have been strikers at united such as zlatan and cavani and refreshing to see a young and talented forward who gives the ability to change the dynamic of the game with one substitution. He does not cost much and won't be a big drain on resources, not to mention won't hinder the development of Rasmus.
Cafe haters gonna hate
You want to pay £70m+ for a player who is only going to get you 15-20 goals? He hasn’t even scored more than 20 goals in the premier league has he? We got the best strikers cause for the most part of Fergies reign we were playing with 2 strikers up front. We don’t do that now. You think Toney is going to be happy on the bench? I like Toney, don’t get me wrong but he is also available on a free next summer.
Also ETH doesn’t like to rotate.We have already seen this. As for Eriksen, I hope he leaves. And Mainoo isn’t a #10.
We screwed up last summer by failing to sign a world class goalscorer, and look what happened.
We're going to screw this up again. We'll have two young strikers who maybe have potential to develop into something special, but neither are going to get us the 25 goals we need from a #9.
This time next summer, we'll still be talking about needing a world class striker after having scored 60 goals in the league, and we'll look back and all see that the combined 90 million spent on Hojlund and Zirkzee should have been spent on one established goalscorer like Toney or Latauro.
Having gone and watched a bit more of him, I quite like him, but he just isn't really a centre-forward.
He reminds me a lot of Sancho, actually:
I like him individually the more I see of him, but I don't see that he makes much sense for us.
- We need tireless off-the-ball running strikers who will keep darting about to create options against sitting, packed defences; he'd just be another floating around in front of said defensive block wanting the ball to feet.
- Also, as others have said, we should buy someone similar enough to Hojlund that we don't have to change formation/strategy every time we swap one out for the other. They should compete for the same role in a fixed system.
I won't complain if we can get him for a decent fee, but not entirely sure what the thinking behind this one is.
He reminds me a lot of Sancho, actually:
- Dribbles with tight close control, body feints and deception, a little flair too
- Creative passer, at his best seeks the most attacking pass in any situation
- Pretty good decision maker when it comes to executing counter-attacks or choosing a final pass
- Doesn't have the raw pace to make his dribbling really lethal, especially against tougher/cannier defenders
- Physically strong, so thrives on receiving the ball in advanced areas centrally, shielding and turning (as opposed to receiving in space on the wing like Sancho, and dribbling from there)
- Not a reliable finisher
I like him individually the more I see of him, but I don't see that he makes much sense for us.
- We need tireless off-the-ball running strikers who will keep darting about to create options against sitting, packed defences; he'd just be another floating around in front of said defensive block wanting the ball to feet.
- Also, as others have said, we should buy someone similar enough to Hojlund that we don't have to change formation/strategy every time we swap one out for the other. They should compete for the same role in a fixed system.
I won't complain if we can get him for a decent fee, but not entirely sure what the thinking behind this one is.
I love a new signing that I’ve never watched before. Adds a new layer of excitement
There aren’t any world class goalscorers available at a decent price and we clearly are backing Hojlund to push on.
He’s also young and cheap enough to mean that we will probably get a decent fee for him if he flops and we have to sell.
But people will moan regardless.
He’s also young and cheap enough to mean that we will probably get a decent fee for him if he flops and we have to sell.
But people will moan regardless.
https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/joshua-zirkzee-the-complete-center-forward/
This analysis tells a thing or two about his profile as a forward. On paper he is the profile to knit the team attacking play together.
This analysis tells a thing or two about his profile as a forward. On paper he is the profile to knit the team attacking play together.
Yeah I agree, his movement is world class.
Mount.
For a team inferior to ours. His movement in the box is world class and his finishing is very good. The only season in the premier league he hasn't outperformed his xG is last season coming off his suspension. If we create for him he will score, it's that simple. We're constantly complaining about goals and how there's never anyone in the box attacking crosses and finishing off moves and yet we want to buy another striker that has 'good link up play' but doesn't make those runs into the box and doesn't win aerial duels. Also do you know the last time Manchester United had a striker that scored at least 20 league goals (including penalties), it was RVP when we won the league. So turning your nose up at that for a player doing it at Brentford is quite funny.
See above, also using last season where he spent most of the season suspended isn't a good look.
I agree with you completely mate. It's mind boggling how we don't sign goal scorers yet constantly complain about not scoring goals.
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I feel sorry for bologna. But it's their fault for agreeing to that in the first place.If us and Bayern are still working out the price for De Ligt, might be worth pointing out there are due another 20 million or so from this deal
The release clause and sell on clause really have Bologna in a pretty poor place in fairness to them.
De ligt and Zirkzee will be good additions
Toney isnt WC goalscorer. Latauro is inter through and through. Toney would be a short term fix, which is not where the club is going. He's the wrong age, like arsenal we are looking to buy players who mature and develop into their prime around the same time. Toney would be the wrong side of 30 for that.
Sounds like a profile of Berbatov perhaps?
34m is a bargain for a forward.
We usually get fleeced on these types of deals.
We usually get fleeced on these types of deals.
Hojlund is a class number 9 albeit very undercooked. We need something different.
Let’s hope he’s not poor/ average off the ball. You can’t carry those sorts these days.
His a good dribbler, good at combination play and creative, loves to drop off to get on the ball often, basically he'll be replacing Martial except he's 6'4.
Also has that Kane-like ball to Son ability.
if it's a forward that's going to be effective, and suited to the league, yes. If he's another Antony, no.
Struggling to muster up any excitement for this signing.
He can barely get game time ahead of Depay and Weghorst for the Netherlands.
Scored 11 goals in Serie A Last season.
Hopefully our scouts can see something we can't.
He can barely get game time ahead of Depay and Weghorst for the Netherlands.
Scored 11 goals in Serie A Last season.
Hopefully our scouts can see something we can't.
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He does his job defensively.
Using him getting banned for half a season due to his own stupidity as a point in his favour is some argument.
Didn't he win serie a young player of the year. There must be something about him.
Ah forgot about him
Yep we do lack a striker who can create, particularly when our wide forwards are way too selfish but I do hope that will change in the coming season.
Yep, let’s hope he is in the mould of Roberto Firmino when it comes to off the ball aggression and intensity
Got to say, this guy has Fellaini type vibes for me. The minute I saw him I thought no. Looks lanky, runs around a lot but ultimately didn't look like a game changer.
Players with these hair styles give me the collywobbles.
Players with these hair styles give me the collywobbles.
Thank you. I made this exact point multiple times in this thread and also in the Toney thread but seems like he's turned into some mythical world class striker for some people who every team would be creaming to sign. I don't see a single team linked with signing him. Why are someone like Arsenal/Chelsea or even say Tottenham in for him?
He's 28 and had exactly 1 season scoring 20 goals in Prem and that's with taking penalties and got banned due to betting. World class alright.
Stereotyping.
It's not a good look on Toney for getting suspended in the first place.
Yep, bizzare reasoning.
Hi. I am Italian and I know Zirkzee very well. He has word class potential. He has the technique of a number 10 and the physique of a number 9. Unique player. Reminds Berbatov and Ibrahimovic. Milan supporters are furious because they are losing him. If you sign Zirkzee you make a great, great deal.
People talk about needing a prolific number 9 but I do wonder, do City score more goals now with Haaland than before Haaland, are Dortmund scoring less this days since Haaland left I'm just wondering.
I tend to think high scoring teams are team who are good at ensuring the majority of the game is played at the edge of the opponent box more so than one with a "goal machine". This high scoring teams tend to have their goals spread out among the players than just one man.
To achieve this they tend to be good at moving the ball from back to front efficiently and pinning the opponent back with a good press. I think the question with Zirkzee should be would he help facilitate this type of football. What his decision making like, spacial awareness? touch? Passing? Work rate? This would improve the team level in general.
Yes, finishing and the ability to get into dangerous position are important too, but I don't think our current group of attackers and attacking mids are worse at this than the teams that finish above us, we're just worse at the basic stuff that helps make their job easier.
I tend to think high scoring teams are team who are good at ensuring the majority of the game is played at the edge of the opponent box more so than one with a "goal machine". This high scoring teams tend to have their goals spread out among the players than just one man.
To achieve this they tend to be good at moving the ball from back to front efficiently and pinning the opponent back with a good press. I think the question with Zirkzee should be would he help facilitate this type of football. What his decision making like, spacial awareness? touch? Passing? Work rate? This would improve the team level in general.
Yes, finishing and the ability to get into dangerous position are important too, but I don't think our current group of attackers and attacking mids are worse at this than the teams that finish above us, we're just worse at the basic stuff that helps make their job easier.
His best attributes are his dribbling and flair. So alot like fellani then.
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