There have been plenty of Dutch success stories at Manchester United. Now Joshua Zirkzee is aiming to follow in the footsteps of his celebrated compatriots. From Arnold Mühren helping United win the FA Cup in 1983, to Erik ten Hag claiming the same prize in 2024, via the success of Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Edwin van der Saar, Robin van Persie and others in between, United have had their share of Dutch stars. If Zirkzee goes on to have half the success of his illustrious predecessors, he will have done very well indeed.
Born in the Netherlands in 2001, Zirkzee moved to Germany at the age of 16, to join Bayern Munich. He scored a debut hat-trick for Bayern’s reserve team in 2019, and made his first appearance for the senior team in December of that year. Loan spells with Parma – cut short by injury – and Anderlecht followed, before he made a permanent move to Bologna at the age of 21.
In his second season in Italy, he finished as Bologna’s top scorer to help Thiago Motta’s side to qualify for the Champions League. With a host of clubs around Europe by that point interested in his signature, it was Manchester United who moved decisively to sign him for £36.54m in the summer of 2024.
Here, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed Zirkzee’s style of play, and the positions he takes up…
Technical and positional analysis
Joshua Zirkzee is very much a modern centre-forward. One who has tended to contribute heavily to the build and progression of his teams, as well as having the final-third capabilities of a traditional centre-forward. Standing 6ft 4ins tall, he possesses abilities more often associated with diminutive forwards, being able to receive and change direction, to elude defenders and dribble at opposition back-lines. At Bologna, he mostly operated centrally, but had freedom to drift into wider areas to receive and progress possession, which made it difficult for the opposition to track him.
He will often scan and identify central pockets of space to drop into, behind the opposition’s midfield line, using sharp acceleration to receive with space between himself and his marker. Once he has lured out an opposition defender with his movements, he has the quality to link with one touch and play into supporting midfielders, or wingers, to help progress attacks. Meanwhile, his physical stature allows him to pin defenders when receiving under pressure, securing possession before laying off to teammates (below).
Dribbling
Some of Zirkzee’s most dangerous moments are when he is able to turn and dribble at defenders. With 4.32 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A during the 2023/24 season, it is a significant part of his game. He positions his body between the ball and defender when he receives against pressure, using his body as a moving screen. This allows him to roll out while protecting the ball, if the defender pressures more heavily from one side.
Alternatively, when defenders are aggressive and restrict his ability to turn, he can receive with a closed body shape. He will invite pressure, before using body feints to commit and unbalance defenders, enabling him to advance into the space created. Although, he only had a 44.37 per cent success rate with his dribbles across the 2023/24 Serie A season; perhaps a trade-off for his flair and unpredictability in attacking areas.
Attacking movement
Zirkzee possesses good acceleration and agility, which enables him to be a threat running in-behind defences. He thrives on opportunities to run between and outside opposition defenders – when they are stretched and distances open between them – particularly in attacking transitions. This speed and power causes defenders numerous problems, with his ability to both drop in and run in-behind (below).
Furthermore, the detail on some of his attacking runs displays a high level of game intelligence. He creates space for himself by making double movements and drawing defenders away, before exploiting the space created in the opposite direction.
In the example below, Bologna were progressing in a wide area when Zirkzee drifted to the blind-side and back shoulder of Juan Jesus – just outside the defender’s field of vision – to create space near-side. Juan Jesus was forced to track Zirkzee’s movements, or be vulnerable to a dangerous run in-behind. As the defender drifted deeper to cover Zirkzee’s initial movement, the centre-forward made an aggressive run back in the opposite direction, exploiting the space created. The Dutchman used his pace over a short distance and received facing forwards in space. He then had an opportunity to face Juan Jesus up and utilise his dribbling to create a chance.
Final-third performance
A criticism of Zirkzee’s game has been his goalscoring. In the 2023/24 Serie A, he ranked 21st for xG, despite Bologna finishing in the Champions League places. Explanations for this include his role in deeper build-up and progression, and the number of lower-quality shots he took from around and outside the penalty area – the joint-highest (29) of any striker, alongside Dušan Vlahovic. Zirkzee often found himself in these areas and tempted to strike the ball with power, with his favoured right foot (below), or the left.
At Bologna, he didn’t receive many opportunities in the six-yard box, instead receiving the ball in deeper areas, typically between the six-yard box and penalty spot. He has developed an ability to arrive late in the box, due to his role in linking play. As such, he will time his arrival into space between the opposition’s deep defensive line and midfield (below), as the ball arrives. With the space and time created by his spatial awareness, upon receiving in those areas he has the ability to finish first-time.
He also has the agility and balance to shift to both his left and right foot, until defenders overcommit and provide him with a clear line of sight to finish. In these situations, he will often maintain close control of the ball, shifting either side – briefly showing the ball to the defender in an attempt to entice them – before exploiting the space created once defenders are drawn in. In these attacking areas, his flair and ability to produce the unexpected make him difficult for defenders to restrict.
Out of possession
Without the ball, Zirkzee is an energetic presser and engages competitively in duels. It isn’t uncommon to see him double-press; continuing his pressing run after pressuring central defenders, then jumping to the goalkeeper, keeping the central defender in his cover-shadow to prevent being played around (below). His sharpness also allows him to be useful with counter-pressing, seizing opportunities to regain when possession is contested and insecure.
At Euro 2024, Zirkzee won his first international cap as a late substitute in the Netherlands’ quarter final win against Turkey. Shortly after, the next step in his burgeoning career was confirmed with his move to Manchester United. While he may not be as established as some of the Dutch masters to have graced Old Trafford, the potential is there to keep improving and growing in stature.
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