Ruben Amorim handed new Joshua Zirkzee blueprint after Manchester United struggles

Things haven't quite gone to plan for Joshua Zirkzee since his summer transfer to Manchester United. The Reds splashed £36.5million on the Dutch forward after an impressive campaign with Serie A side Bologna helping them qualify for the Champions League.

Despite scoring on his United debut against Fulham, Zirkzee has struggled since then. In 11 Premier League appearances, the winner against the Cottagers remains his only goal, and has just one assist to his name.

The 23-year-old has never been prolific in front of goal and reports have since emerged after his transfer, former Reds boss Erik ten Hag was not overly keen on signing the Dutch international. However, with Ten Hag sacked by United's hierarchy after a disappointing start to the season, Zirkzee has an opportunity to reignite his career.

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New boss Ruben Amorim has a decent track record of getting the best out of strikers, having transformed Viktor Gyokeres into one of Europe's most feared goal scorers after his move from Coventry City. There remains plenty of debate around Zirkzee. What sort of striker is he? Does he need to play with a strike partner? Is he more of an attacking midfielder?

Ex-Bologna boss Thiago Motta got the best out of him by allowing him to roam around the pitch, dropping deeper to pick up the ball and link up play in his infamous 2-7-2 formation. Interestingly, that formation refers to players in three areas of the pitch.

Motta splits the pitch into three areas vertically, with two players on either flank and seven players in