Sunday's trip to Newcastle United will trigger bad memories for Manchester United attacker Joshua Zirkzee.
The last time the two sides met, Zirkzee was subjected to boos and ironic cheers from some Reds supporters as he was substituted 33 minutes into United's 2-0 defeat to the Magpies at Old Trafford at the end of December.
United found themselves two down just 19 minutes into the clash and Zirkzee had struggled to have any sort of impact on proceedings. Ruben Amorim's side were being overrun in midfield, with both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro being overpowered by the more sprightly and energetic trio of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton. To try and stem the flow of momentum, Amorim had to make an early change, resulting in Zirkzee being sacrificed for Kobbie Mainoo.
As Zirkzee traded places with the United academy graduate, sections of the Old Trafford crowd produced ironic cheers in response. It was impossible not to feel sorry for the Dutchman.
To Zirkzee's credit, he has responded well to that cruel incident and has improved over the last few months, benefitting from playing as a No.10 in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system.
United signed the 23-year-old last summer with the idea of him providing support for Rasmus Hojlund at the tip of United's attack. However, it has become increasingly clear throughout the campaign that the former Bologna man is not a natural striker.
Despite that, Zirkzee has scored three times the number of goals Hojlund has this calendar year, with his header against Lyon on Thursday night marking his third goal of 2025. It also marked his eighth of the campaign, moving him level with Hojlund for the season.
It goes without saying that neither Hojlund or Zirkzee are good enough to spearhead
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
