Joshua Zirkzee had to wait longer than he would have liked to make his Manchester United debut after being left on the bench for the Community Shield last weekend.
But his United career began in perfect fashion when he scored the winner on the opening night of the 2024/25 Premier League season, securing a narrow 1-0 victory for Erik ten Hag’s side against Fulham.
The Dutch striker joined Serie A side Bologna for £42 million ($54 million) in July and has been waiting for this moment ever since.
He came on at a crucial time, with United heading for a goalless draw, and lacked that accuracy in the final third against Marco Silva’s side. He only had one touch in the box, but that was all he needed to write his name into the history books by joining an elite list of players to have scored on their debut against the Stretford End.
At first glance the goal looked like a toe-tap but replays showed it was a classic hunter’s finish, one that might have reminded United fans of similar goals from more than 20 years ago by one of Ten Hag’s new assistants, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Zirkzee spoke about the impact the former United striker is already having on the team: “Yes, it’s a privilege to have someone like that. As a striker, it’s not every day you get someone you grew up watching.”
“It’s not just him, but obviously it’s an extra privilege,” he added.
Ladies and gentlemen: Joshua Zirkzee.#MUFC || #MUNFUL image.twitter.com/0Wmvj3D9CW
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 16, 2024
The 23-year-old was then asked if that kind of clinical instinct comes naturally to him.
“I’m not going to talk about myself like that, but today was a good moment, so hopefully there will be more. It’s something you really have to work towards.”
In his spare time, Zirkzee seems like any other young man in the world. He likes to walk his dog, watch TV shows and play PlayStation.
But it turns out he plays for the biggest club in the world.
“Why Manchester United? [laughs]”For some people it may seem crazy, but for me, it’s the biggest club in the world, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make, to be honest.”
He is one of four signings United have made this summer. The latest two additions are Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt, both friends of Zirkzee from their time together at Bayern Munich.
“They are two great players and we will see in the future what they can bring. I am sure they will do a lot of great things here. I think Mazaroui also played a great game today and I think De Ligt also came with a lot of energy, so yes, it is good to have familiar faces around, but everyone in the team has been very friendly and it is great to be part of this group.
“He [Mazaroui] “He came in this week and it’s not easy to come into a team and play straight away like he did. I think everything looked natural and that was the most special part of his game today. But yeah, that’s the player he is, he’s there to do his job and perform to the best of his ability and I think he did very well today… not just because he’s my friend.”
