Manchester United Joshua Zirkzee: I’m Creative And Unpredictable

Manchester United new signing, Joshua Zirkzee, said fans can expect to see a creative, unpredictable player who developed his skills in cage football, and idolised Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The striker joined United on Sunday following a standout season at Serie A club, Bologna, where he scored 11 goals and provided five assists, contributing to their qualification for the Champions League group stage.

“Yeah, it’s been a roller-coaster the past few weeks, but some very good experiences. I’m very happy to be here,” Zirkzee said in an interview for United’s website.

“Obviously (I’m arriving) at a good point, making a transfer to Manchester United is obviously something very positive, so yeah, I just can’t wait to get started and continue what I basically did last season.”

The 1.93-metre Zirkzee is technically gifted for a player his size, which he attributes to his childhood in Spijkenisse, in the south of the Netherlands where he developed his skills in Johan Cruyff cages, enclosed football pitches named after the Dutch football great.

“As a young boy growing up, playing mostly with tougher, bigger guys who are older than you make you adapt, so I think that’s something that you learn at a young age in Holland, especially where I grew up,” Zirkzee said.

“(I’m a) creative player, good with the ball, I’m just a bit unpredictable at times.”

He laughingly recounted the countless times he got in trouble with his mother for coming home late.

“I hope she forgives me now for all the times I came home late, or if I broke something in the backyard,” he said. “Eventually it all worked out pretty well but yeah, that was just life back when I was younger, playing football, forgetting about the time and getting back home late.”

Zirkzee said having a Dutch manager in Erik ten Hag “is a privilege” and the added presence of Ruud van Nistelrooy the former Netherlands and Man United player who joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff earlier this week will help him adjust to his new team. But they are not the only reasons he made the move to United.

“Manchester United is a great, huge club so it’s just an extra privilege and benefit for me,” he said. “Having some Dutch people around obviously makes it a bit easier, (but) to be fair I’m an easygoing person, I’m not too difficult adapting.

“Obviously when I was younger, watching the Dutch national team, Manchester United, watching (Van Nistelrooy) play, he was one of the guys who you were pretending to be when you were out playing with friends.

“So having him out here is obviously a bit special, it’s great.”

Zirkzee, who made his senior debut for the Netherlands in the quarter-final win against Turkey as a last-minute addition to the European Championship squad, will be taking some time off after the tournament. He is not set to join his new teammates until the beginning of August.