Joshua Zirkzee is still finding his feet in the Premier League following his summer move from Bologna.
As is the case for his compatriot Matthijs de Ligt, who, like Zirkzee, has featured in each of Manchester United’s opening four Premier League fixtures thus far.
The forward got off to a flying start when, on the opening day against Fulham, he came off the bench to fire home a late winner in front of the Stretford End faithful. While he has yet to replicate such a finish or clinicality in front of goal, it’s given him something to build from, having made a lasting impression with fans in his first outing.
Meanwhile, the start of De Ligt’s 2024/2025 campaign has been nothing short of a tumultuous one. He made his first start in the side’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool and was also on the pitch when the Reds conceded an injury-time goal to Brighton and Hove Albion the week prior.
He then entered the international break perhaps a little short of confidence, and that unfortunately showed. The centre-half endured two disastrous showings for the Netherlands in their Nations League double-header, with the second match seeing him directly at fault for Germany’s equaliser in the first half. As a result, he was withdrawn at the interval.
Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk was pressed on De Ligt’s showing following the full-time whistle, responding: “This is football. You have to learn from this. It was one moment, but at the highest level, you will get punished for it.”
Such comments led fans – and seemingly Harry Redknapp – to believe that the Liverpool captain had thrown his compatriot ‘under the bus’.
De Ligt silences critics with stellar showing vs Saints
Yet, De Ligt responded in the best way possible. Against Southampton last weekend, the colossus defender opened the scoring with a superb bullet header to break the deadlock in the 35th minute, aiding United on their way to claiming a comfortable win.
Even besides his contribution, it was the 25-year-old’s efforts throughout the clash that led to him being named Player of the Match when all was said and done. He won 100 per cent of his aerial duels while recording a 92 per cent passing accuracy, six clearances, four passes into the final third, three touches in the opposition’s box, one interception and two shots on target – per StatmanDave.
Reacting to his teammate’s five-star display, Zirkzee told ViaPlay: “It was nice to see him score. Matthijs is, of course, my friend here. He is also in the Dutch team (with me).
“Matthijs also jumped in front of me. I almost got his foot in my face afterwards! I was just super happy for him.”
