Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has voiced his concerns over one of the club’s summer recruits following a tumultuous start to the term.
Barring the sidelined Leny Yoro, each of the Red Devils’ recent acquisitions have been put to good use since the campaign began.
Noussair Mazraoui has started each of United’s four Premier League fixtures thus far, while Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt have been utilised either from the beginning or off the bench in the opening matches. Manuel Ugarte is poised to make his maiden start on Saturday, having been eased into the fold after his deadline-day move.
One player who’s set to lose his place in the coming weeks is Zirkzee; the club confirmed yesterday that Rasmus Hojlund had returned to first-team training while completing the final steps of his rehabilitation from a calf injury, and he will presumably slot straight back into the No.9 position when fully fit.
Scoring in his first-ever outing as a Red, Zirkzee got off to a dream start in front of the Stretford End faithful. However, he has since struggled with a lack of clinicality and, presumably, confidence in front of goal, which has seen several clear-cut chances go astray.
Why Parker is worried about Zirkzee’s suitability
That’s not where Parker’s doubts lie, though, as he has conveyed his fears regarding the Dutch international’s fitness levels. Speaking to bettingexpert – cited by Football365 – the former Red explained: “Once Hojlund is back from injury, he will start, because you need a focal point. He’s needed. I can’t see how Zirkzee gets in the team.
“Who do you take out to bring him in? Do you take out a wide player? Unless ten Hag changes the system, I can’t see how Zirkzee plays, and I don’t know his best position.
“Can he win the ball back? I look at him, and when he starts games, his socks are around his ankles and he looks like he’s run a half marathon before he’s even started a game. I’m not sure how fit he is. There’s no great burst in his runs or a change of pace. He’s very one-paced. I just don’t know. Capello said the pace of the game in England has caught Zirkzee off guard.”
Zikzee’s fitness may well be a question mark – I’d noticed him jogging at times where a sprint would have been more appropriate – but selecting Zirkzee over Hojlund is, IMHO, a matter of matching player to game plan.
Zirkzee excels at link-up play and, as has been reported elsewhere, may help ‘unlock’ Man Utd’s wingers allowing them to thrive in the channels and against more compact defence whereas Bruno traditionally plays wingers into space behind.