Manchester United haven’t had great luck with strikers since Robin Van Persie guided the Red Devils to the 20th league title. Many strikers were signed and went. Some did well, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but most were disappointing. However, for the first time in a long time, Manchester United has two young strikers in their dugout destined to reach their top ceiling. Rasmus Hojlund was signed by the club last year but had to adjust to the demands of the English league. This season, the Reds have signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. With the potential to trust both players across different formations, it is ideal for United to go with the Dutchman as their first-choice striker.
Rasmus Hojlund’s Struggles
Rasmus Hojlund was signed last season to be Manchester United’s first-choice striker but struggled despite ending the season with the club’s top scorer. The Danish striker scored 16 goals across all competitions in the 2023/24 season, with 10 in the Premier League. These numbers are pretty good for a player in his first season in a different country. However, as United aspires to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League, they want more from their first-choice striker.
Moreover, like every player on the Manchester United roster, Hojlund’s 2023/24 season was hampered by injuries. When he was signed, he had an injury during Atlanta’s pre-season training, which he carried to United. This season hasn’t started ideal for him either, as he got another injury during the pre-season game against Arsenal. Hence, Erik ten Hag cannot go into another season, compromising his plan A. It can work in a few knockout games, as in the FA Cup final, but it won’t during a sustained Premier League season, where your plan A usually gets you through games.
Joshua Zirkzee’s Profile
Joshua Zirkzee’s profile suits Manchester United much more than Rasmus Hojlund’s. The Dutchman is very much known for holding up the ball and linking up with his opponents. Although Hojlund can do that as well, Zirzkee tends to drop deep to be involved in the overall play pattern. Hojlund is a ‘fox in the box’ kind of striker who waits for the chance to arrive at him. Hence, the fans saw how isolated he looked so many times throughout last season when United struggled to create chances.
In the opening Premier League game against Fulham, Zirkzee scored his debut goal to secure Manchester United’s first league win. The Dutchman was heavily involved in the goal by first linking up with the wingers before arriving late to slot the ball past Bernd Leno. Moreover, he has the guidance of Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the dugout to help him get better. Secondly, Hojlund has shown a few times last season how effective he was while coming off the bench. In the last Premier League game of the 2023/24 season, he came from the bench against Brighton to score United’s second goal and put the match to bed.
Conclusion
Manchester United is in the Europa League because of their FA Cup win last season. Hence, it is expected that the Red Devils will be involved in many games across the 2024/25 season. Hence, the United fans will see many occasions of both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee leading the line for the team. There could be a situation where Erik ten Hag fields both the strikers in a 4-4-2 formation. However, in the big crunch games, the Dutchman will be much preferable for the lone striker’s role.
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