"That Zirkzee isn't very good," said someone in the press box at Selhurst Park on Saturday. When you watch Zirkzee for the first time, he does not immediately catch the eye or look like the kind of player Manchester United should have signed for €42.5million (£36.5m).
He is not a natural goalscorer and it will be a surprise if he comfortably surpasses double digits, but United were worse when Zirkzee was substituted off against Crystal Palace.
Zirkzee was replaced by Marcus Rashford on the hour mark and it was a like-for-like change. Rashford played down the middle when he was introduced to the game but United suddenly weren't as effective going forward and they lacked the cohesion they had previously. ALSO READ: I spotted how United players reacted to benched star ALSO READ: Ten Hag responded to criticism by unleashing new plan Look away if you dislike football hipsters, but Zirkzee has described his best position as a '9.5', meaning he plays as a striker but likes to drop into deeper positions to link up the play.
Although he didn't score and missed a chance from close range, Zirkzee's link-up play was important in the 3-0 victory over Southampton and it was crucial again on Saturday evening.