It's official! Man Utd have a new star as Zirkzee makes astonishing debut

Robin Bairner

• 17 Aug 2024 10:10 BST
• 6 min read

Joshua Zirkzee made the perfect start to life at Manchester United as he grabbed the decisive goal for Erik ten Hag’s side against Fulham in their Premier League opener.

Zirkzee showed the type of instinctive finishing in the box that Man Utd so often lacked last season to secure a 1-0 win.

Questions had been asked of Ten Hag’s selection when the Bologna man, who was signed for €42.5 million in the summer, was left out of the starting XI, with Mason Mount bizarrely selected as a false 9.

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Current ETV

Joshua Zirkzee

F (C)

Man Utd

Joshua Zirkzee

F (C)

Man Utd

€32.6M

ETV Range

€24.4M - €40.7M

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Zirkzee made his manager’s call seem all the more puzzling as he came on in the second half to prod home from an Alejandro Garnacho cross.

Given just 29 minutes of action, it was an impressive cameo from the 23-year-old.

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Zirkzee vs. Fulham

Zirkzee managed only 12 touches against Fulham, but the Man Utd debutant still gave a positive impression over the course of his brief stay on the field. FootballCritic gave the former Bayern Munich player a score of 6.9 for his cameo, which was significantly higher than the 5.8 Mount mustered, claiming the unwanted title of flop of the game in the process.

Only one of Zirkzee’s touches came in the box and he had only that one shot, but it proved the decisive moment of the match.

Meanwhile, he was sound in possession, completing eight of nine passes and giving the ball away only on a couple of occasions.

In future weeks, Ten Hag will expect his new arrival to be busier defensively. He did not complete in a single duel against Fulham, though this was partially because United were largely on the front foot in the closing stages of the match, which he won three minutes from time.