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MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United newcomer Joshua Zirkzee says fans can expect to see a creative, unpredictable player who developed his skills in cage football and idolises Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 23-year-old forward signed for United on Sunday after a stellar season with Serie A club Bologna, in which he scored 11 goals and provided five assists as the club qualified for the group stage of the Champions League.
“Yes, the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster, but there have been some very good experiences as well. I’m very happy to be here,” Zirkzee told Manchester United’s website.
“Obviously I’ve reached a good stage and the move to Manchester United is obviously a very positive thing, so yeah, I can’t wait to get started and continue what I did last season.”
At 1.93m tall, Zirkzee is technically gifted compared to other players of his size, something he attributes to his childhood in Spijkenisse in southern Holland, where he honed his skills in the Johan Cruyff Cage, an enclosed football pitch named after the Dutch soccer great.
“As a young boy growing up, you mostly play with players who are older, stronger and taller than you, and that makes you adapt, so I think that’s something you learn from a young age in the Netherlands, especially where I grew up,” Zirkzee said.
“I’m a creative player, good on the ball, just a little unpredictable at times.”
He laughed as he recalled the countless times he was scolded by his mother for being late.
“I wish she would forgive me now for coming home late or breaking something in the backyard,” he said. “It all worked out in the end, but yeah, that was just my life as a kid, playing soccer, losing track of time, coming home late.”
Zirkzee said it was “a privilege” to have a Dutch coach like Erik ten Hag, and that the addition of Ruud van Nistelrooy (a former Netherlands and Manchester United player who joined ten Hag’s coaching staff earlier this week) would help him settle into his new team. But those weren’t the only reasons for his move to United.
“Manchester United is a great club so for me it was an added privilege and benefit for me,” he said. “Having a Dutch guy around obviously made things a little easier, (but) to be fair I’m an easygoing guy and it wasn’t too difficult to adapt.
“Obviously when I was younger, watching the Dutch national team, watching Manchester United, watching Ruud van Nistelrooy play, he was the kind of guy you’d pretend to be when you were hanging out with your friends.
“So having him here is obviously a little bit special, which is great.”
Zirkzee was a temporary member of the Netherlands team for the European Championship and made his debut for the national team in the quarter-final against Turkey. He will have some time off after the 2024 European Championship and is not expected to join his new teammates until early August.
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