Joshua Zirkzee has made a dream start to life at Manchester United and looks like a great talent. But sorry to disappoint United fans, he won’t be the answer to their goalscoring woes.
The Dutchman is strong and skilled, but not a true striker. He likes to come to the ball and is more comfortable as a number 10 or wide. His scoring record at Bologna was one goal every four games — not great.
Unless United go for a genuine number 9 like Ivan Toney in the last few weeks of the transfer window, I think you can ignore their top four prospects. Rasmus Hojlund is also not ready to be the 20-goal-a-season guy that Man United need in the Premier League.
When I watched the 1-0 win over Fulham on Friday night, I could see that United are still developing.
Last season they finished eighth, 31 points behind City, and for all the talk of defensive injuries, it’s the other end of the pitch that’s the biggest problem. No one in the top half of the Premier League table has scored fewer goals.
Joshua Zirkzee made a dream start at Manchester United, but he is not a typical striker
Erik ten Hag’s team may need to sign another striker to compete for the top four this season
United need to sign Ivan Toney to boost their chances of reaching the Champions League
I definitely think Erik ten Hag will perform better this season, as the transfer window has improved under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and competition has increased in most positions.
This creates a higher intensity in training and gives the manager the opportunity to rotate if one of his players is out of form.
The backbone that every top team needs is coming together, with a fit Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt at the back and Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in midfield. Casemiro was a big plus on opening night. After struggling physically last season, he looked fit and sharp.
But there are still gaps. In goal, Andre Onana needs to perform better than last season and, more importantly, there is a big hole to fill up front.
Against Fulham you could see the team had no central point of contact, with Fernandes and Mason Mount operating as two false nines.
Hojlund may be returning from an injury, but he is not yet fit enough to carry that burden.
Although Zirkzee came off the bench and scored the winning goal in the closing stages, signing a number 9 with real character and confidence must be a priority.
We know Toney has the necessary flair and Premier League experience. If Brentford want to let him go for £50m, then I think it would be a logical choice for Ten Hag to sign him.
Toney has guts and Premier League experience and Brentford could let him go for £50m this summer
United may struggle to reach their targets if Rasmus Hojlund is their only recognised striker
They can’t finish in the top four with Hojlund as their only recognised striker. I’ll come back to that – Zirkzee will be a great asset, but his strength is in playing and contributing to goals rather than taking the lead.
Yes, he can be that false nine for certain games, but I don’t see him as the striker that United have been crying out for. Before joining United, he played 37 times for Bologna last season and scored just 12 goals.
It’s not all doom and gloom for United, they do have creativity in the team if they can get a player to finish it off.
The return of left-back Luke Shaw gives them a better balance and that has had a positive impact on Marcus Rashford.
All indications are that he is twice as strong when Shaw is on the same flank, as defenders have to think about other things and Rashford can find space to utilise his pace.
It was also good to see Mount back after terrible injury problems. He will find it difficult to replace Fernandes or Rashford from the starting XI when everyone is available, but the modern game is all about selection and players who can make an impact off the bench. It was two substitutes, Alejandro Garnacho and Zirkzee, who combined to score the goal against Fulham.
Mount has the ability to push others and has a big contribution to make. His work ethic is a real strength. He can be trusted without the ball and his pressing has caused Fulham discomfort. His end product will improve as he finds rhythm and confidence.
Bernd Leno made a superb save, but you could tell from Mount’s frustrated reaction that he would have been better off scoring than throwing the ball hard.
It was good to see Mason Mount back in action after his injury problems last year
It feels clear what United need to do in what remains of this summer’s transfer window
With the arrival of Noussair Mazraoui and De Ligt, the defense is strengthened. Last season, the defense relied too much on Diogo Dalot, when Jonny Evans, Shaw, Martinez and Harry Maguire all suffered from injuries.
It’s difficult to fully assess teams until the transfer window closes, but for me United are a club where it’s already clear what they need to do.
Without investment in Toney or a similar striker, who will puff their chest out and make Old Trafford their goalscoring platform, it is hard to argue that they are doing enough to guarantee Champions League qualification.