With Manchester United And Arsenal both heavily linked, there’s lots of interest in the young Dutch forward – but who is Joshua Zirkzee?
The 22-year-old seems destined for a Premier League move before long, as a host of top European clubs court his signature.
According to Zirkzee’s next club betting odds, it’s Manchester United who are most likely to snap up the former Bayern Munich striker.
Eric Ten Hag’s United have been crying out for a reliable goalscorer. New signing Rasmus Højlund has just two league goals this season, and the manager is looking to offload the out-of-favour Anthony Martial.
With Zirkzee high on the list of possible replacements, we at SportsLens have taken a closer look at the United and Arsenal target.
Who Is Joshua Zirkzee?
Born on May 22, 2001, Joshua Zirkzee grew up in the Netherlands to a Nigerian mother and Dutch father.
Eligible to play for either nation, he has represented the country of his birth from under-15 to under-21, but has not made a senior Dutch appearance yet.
He started his football career with VV Hekelingen, at just five years old. After playing for several other clubs, he eventually joined the youth setup at Feyenoord in 2016, before signing with Bayern Munich’s academy a year later.
Zirkzee scored a hat-trick on his debut for Bayern Munich II in March 2019. His first appearance for the senior team came against Tottenham in the Champions League group stage in December that year.
In his first Bundesliga game, he scored a last-minute winner against Freiburg after coming off the bench in added time.
Overall, Zikrzee scored four goals in 17 games for Bayern Munich’s first team.
🚨✍️| Manchester United are in ‘pole position’ to sign Zirkzee once the current campaign comes to an end.
[Sport Italia] #MUFC pic.twitter.com/nE8BrTE5tP— UtdActive (@UtdActive) January 20, 2024
The Dutchman would move on loan to Italian side Parma in 2021, but only played four times. The majority of his Serie A experience would come with Bologna, who he signed for permanently in August 2022 after another loan spell, this time in Belgium with Anderlecht.
To date, Zirkzee has ten goals and six assists for Bologna. In total, he’s scored 38 goals in 143 senior games, with 29 assists.
Although not the most prolific record, he’s still just 22, and has immense potential.
This season, he has seven goals in 19 league games. With the youngster clearly on an upward trajectory, it’s no wonder he’s among the top-rated prospects in Europe.
Should he end up in the Premier League, he will no doubt be an exciting talent and a worry for English defences.
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