Manchester United have not had a permanent centre forward for the past decade who's truly made the position their own.
Many top strikers have tried, and many have failed to massively impress, with the best in recent times probably being Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Swede only had a short stint at Old Trafford, making 53 appearances across all competitions, but he left with 29 goals and three trophies.
With Rasmus Hojlund being the only senior striker at the club, it’s no surprise to see that Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bolster the position, with one Ibrahimovic-esque ace on his wish list.
Man Utd look to bolster their attack
As per reports from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport via GiveMeSport, Man United are looking to sign Joshua Zirkzee.
It’s stated that the Dutch forward has a £34m release clause in his contract, which means plenty of clubs are interested in signing the attacker.
Some of those include the likes of Juventus and AC Milan, while Arsenal are also keeping an eye on the striker.
However, it’s stated that the two Premier League sides will have a stronger chance of securing his services due to their superior funds.
How Zirkzee would fit in at Man United
For £34m, Man United would be getting an absolute bargain this summer if they were able to convince Zirkzee to join them.
The 23-year-old has been truly instrumental in the Bologna side that achieved Champions League football this term, starting up front 32 times in the Serie A.
Over these matches, the number nine scored a relatively impressive 11 goals while also providing four assists, meaning that he’d be United’s top scorer in the Premier League this season.
However, the Netherlands ace supplies much more than just goals and assists, with his overall game making him such a unique player.
Goals
10
11
Assists
2
4
Key passes (per game)
0.9
1.3
Shots (per game)
1.3
2.6
Successful dribbles (per game)
0.6
1.6
Touches (per game)
22.8
46.2
Passes completed (per game)
10
21.3
Tackles (per game)
0.4
1
As you can see from the table above, Zirkzee is the definition of a complete centre forward who clearly has a different play style from current first-choice forward Hojlund.
The Bologna gem is the type of striker who’d willingly drop deep to get involved with play while having the technical ability to work in tight spaces, meaning that it could be an option for the two young forwards to work in tandem.
Yet, on top of the statistics above, football analyst Ben Mattinson has described Zirkzee as an “insane athlete” due to his 6 foot 4 build and power, outlining him as a similar outlet to Ibrahimovic.
But what makes Zirkzee so special is that – in the words of Mattinson – he’s “6 foot 4 but turns like he’s 5 foot 9" with his 'insane technique' being another reason why he’s been compared to former Paris Saint-Germain icon.
The Swedish striker also has a similar physique to the Serie A ace, standing at 6 foot 5, and the duo are known to be composed finishers who know how to put the ball in the back of the net.
That said, the main difference between the two is that Zirkzee is much more mobile and active than the former United attacker, taking players on with ease and also putting in a shift defensively, making one tackle per game.
Overall, signing Zirkzee for that fee is a steal, and given that he can comfortably play alongside or in place of Hojlund, United have all bases covered going into the new campaign.
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