Joshua Zirkzee Impresses During Man United’s 3-0 Win vs Southampton

Manchester United went into their Premier League tie with Southampton on Satuday knowing it was a must-win game after a rough start to the 2024-25 season. But a penalty save from Andre Onana and two goals all in the space of 10 minutes allowed the Red Devils to return home with all three points.

Erik ten Hag made some bold calls with his starting XI, opting to drop Casemiro after his ‘disasterclass’ against Liverpool, replacing him with Christian Eriksen. Marcus Rashford also kept his place for the fifth competitive game in a row despite calls for him to miss out. While those decisions ultimately paid off, it was the performance of another unsung hero that has led to even more plaudits on social media.

Joshua Zirkzee’s Impressive Display vs Southampton

After a lackluster opening first 15 minutes of the game, the visitors first glimpse of danger came when the Dutch forward was agonsisingly close to giving his side the lead after getting a toe to an incredible ball from Christian Eriksen from close range. He also missed another clear-cut chance in the latter stage of proceedings, but aside from not being clinical, there was plenty on display from the new signing to have fans chanting his name.

The plaudits will naturally fall on the goalscorers Marcus Rashford, Zirkzee’s compatriot Matthijs de Ligt and Alejandro Garnacho after they were able to put their recent troubles behind them to give United the initiative. But, as the game went on, the former Bologna man’s influence on the game grew as critics got to experience the ‘9.5’ type of player that he’s claimed to be in the past.

Fans on social media were quick to point out how influential the 6ft 4in unit was with the ball at his feet, with one supporter likening him to Roberto Firmino during his time at arch-rivals Liverpool: ‘Zirkzee’s link up play is actually insane. The last time I watched that kind of link up play, Firmino was still playing in the Premier League.’ High praise indeed.

Another stated that ‘Joshua Zirkzee is going to do something fun, memorable & nasty pretty soon for Manchester United.’ While another wrote on X: ‘Zirkzee’s link up play is just a joy to watch.’

This style of play may come as a surprise to some United fans, but eagle-eyed supporters will have seen the 23-year-old give what has turned out to be an accurate description of his strengths not long after sealing his move to Old Trafford in the summer. He said:

“I occasionally drop down to midfield. I don’t do that for myself but to help the team.

“I am what I call a false striker. Not a No 9, not a No 10. I am a 9.5! That’s my game. Maybe I’m a little different than others. But being different is good.

One specific moment that caught fans’ eye saw the ex-Bayern Munich youngster pick up the ball from the halfway line and nutmeg one of his opponents before spraying a threatening pass to Amad Diallo to kick-start a dangerous attack on the Southampton back-line. Watch his highlights below:

Zirkzee Pressing Key to United’s Shape

It is not only in attack and build-up play that Zirkzee has impressed fans, either. The way he leads the press from the front has also caught the eye. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Anthony Martial have previously been criticised by the United faithful in recent seasons for their perceived lack of effort when their team are out of possession. However, the opposite has been said of their new man, who led the line expertly throughout proceedings.

Once the Red Devils had taken the lead, Southampton were shaky at the back and were constantly turning over the ball, due in part to the constant pressure they faced from Ten Hag’s front-line headed up by Zirkzee. This did not go unnoticed online as many were quick to give a hand to the forward’s efforts.

‘Surely we’re all seeing this performance from Joshua Zirkzee. The link-up play, the pressing, the aerial power, the fluidity on the ball. Very impressive today,’ one fan stated. The new emphasis on this style of play was commented on pre-match by United full-back Diogo Dalot, who explained that the squad finally understood the direction they wanted to move forward in, with the Dutch forward clearly playing a key part in it.

“We want to be really high pressing, we want to be really dominant with & without the ball. I feel like a completely different team to be really honest comparing to last year. I think at least everyone can see the direction we are going in.