Man United supporters can anticipate Zirkzee, the new striker, to be unpredictable and creative

Joshua Zirkzee, a recent addition to Manchester United, stated that supporters could anticipate seeing a dynamic, inventive player who honed his talents in cage football and looked up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho.

After a stellar season with Serie A club Bologna, where he scored 11 goals and provided five assists to help the team qualify for the Champions’ League group stage, the 23-year-old striker signed a contract with United on Sunday.

Sure, the last few weeks have been quite the ride, but there have also been some excellent experiences. In an interview on United’s website, Zirkzee stated, “I’m really happy to be here.”

“Obviously (I’m arriving) at a good point, making a transfer to Manchester United is obviously something very positive, so yeah, I just can’t wait to get started and continue what I basically did last season.”

Technically speaking, the 1.93-meter Zirkzee is gifted for a player his size, which he credits to his upbringing in Spijkenisse, in the south of the Netherlands, where he honed his skills on enclosed football fields known as Johan Cruyff cages, after the legendary Dutch football player.

“As a young boy growing up, playing mostly with tougher, bigger guys who are older than you make you adapt, so I think that’s something that you learn at a young age in Holland, especially where I grew up,” Zirkzee stated.

“(I’m a) creative player, good with the ball, I’m just a bit unpredictable at times.”

He laughed as he recalled all the times he had to deal with his mother for being late for school.

“I hope she forgives me now for all the times I came home late, or if I broke something in the backyard,” he stated. “Eventually it all worked out pretty well but yeah, that was just life back when I was younger, playing football, forgetting about the time and getting back home late.”

Zirkzee said that having Erik ten Hag, a Dutch manager, “is a privilege” and that Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former player for Man United and the Netherlands who joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff earlier this week, will aid in his transition to his new team. But he moved to United for other reasons besides those.

“Manchester United is a great, huge club so it’s just an extra privilege and benefit for me,” he stated. “Obviously, it’s a little easier when there are some Dutch people about, but to be fair, I’m a laid-back person, so I have no trouble adjusting.

“Obviously when I was younger, watching the Dutch national team, Manchester United, watching (Van Nistelrooy) play, he was one of the guys who you were pretending to be when you were out playing with friends.”It’s amazing to have him here, so it’s obviously a bit special.”

Zirkzee made his senior debut in the Netherlands’ quarterfinal triumph against Turkey after being a late addition to the team for the European Championship. He will be given some time off following Euro 2024, and it is anticipated that he will not get together with his new teammates until early August.