Summary Manchester United's current form has left them in a dire situation, and the fans are hoping for new talent and investment. United has made an approach to sign Joshua Zirkzee, a striker who has been performing well for Bologna. Zirkzee's impressive goal-scoring numbers and versatile playing style make him a potential replacement for Marcus Rashford, who has been struggling this season.
There's no two ways about it: Manchester United look lost.
Erik ten Hag's team currently sit ninth in the Premier League, but by the time the weekend arrives, they could be as low as 11th.
Their saviour seems to be in the form of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS and Omar Berrada, with the United faithful now hoping and praying that they can invest in some new talent.
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ByMatt DawsonJan 23, 2024 Man United want to bolster their attack
According to Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT, Man United have made an approach to sign Joshua Zirkzee.
The journalist stated in the report: "Zirkzee is a really interesting one for the summer. Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are three to watch from the Premier League.
"Manchester United are the ones that have had some kind of formative approach, certainly on the player side. Arsenal and Spurs haven't moved yet, but that may change in the summer. There is a release clause, and if Bologna are to be believed, it only applies to Bayern and is €40m [£34m]."
Jacobs goes on to mention that a winter move has been ruled out. For any club (excluding Bayern) hoping to bring him in over the summer, they will have to part ways with £50m as per prior reports.
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ByLuke RandallFeb 1, 2024 Zirkzee's potential role at Man United
Marcus Rashford is the most talked-about player in the world this week after controversy sparked over him missing training last week. To add even more to the situation, INews have announced that PSG are interested in signing the United number ten this summer.
Unfortunately for Rashford, what makes the situation worse is the fact that he's having a troubled season on the field, netting just four goals in 20 Premier League games. Therefore, the boss could look to move the England star on in the summer, with Zirkzee joining the club as his replacement.
The former Bayern Munich striker has been superb this season for Bologna, scoring eight goals in 19 league starts while also providing two assists. In short, he has been the focal point of his side's rise up to eighth in the Serie A.
Nonetheless, let's look at the role that Zirkzee could play at United and a handful of statistics from this season that prove he would be a smart acquisition. The numbers below compare the powerful Dutch striker him to his positional peers in Serie A.
Goals
0.43
Top 32%
xG
0.31
Bottom 59%
Touches
43.05
Top 14%
Touches (Mid 3rd)
19.99
Top 9%
Successful take-ons
1.50
Top 16%
Although Bologna are achieving great things this season, they are far from a dominant side in the Serie A, so for Zirkzee to be boasting those goal-scoring numbers is rather impressive. Just over a third of their goals this season in the league have come via the Dutch forward, which proves how influential he is. Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig labelled the attacker as "prolific," and the fact that he outperforms his xG by 0.12 each game underlines that he's clinical.
During his time at Ajax, Ten Hag built a specific system around the qualities of Dusan Tadic, which saw him play anywhere across the front line in a free-roaming role. This is potentially what he could envision for Zirkzee.
Indeed, the 6 foot 4 attacker has all the necessary traits to flourish in the unorthodox position due to his ability to identify space to get involved in play, drop deeper to create overloads, and use his dribbling to unlock defences. His high overall touches, touches in the middle third of the pitch and successful take-ons serve as evidence to that.
Overall, Zirkzee gives Ten Hag plenty of options in terms of squad selection due to his ability to perform in multiple game states and roles. If Rashford were to swap Manchester for Paris, then the Netherlands ace could be the perfect replacement.