Joshua Zirkzee to Manchester United: Athletic 500 transfer rating

Manchester United have signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna for €42.5m (£35.8m; $46.2m) on a five-year deal with the option of an extra year.

Our writers – who are experts in football transfers, tactics, data and finance – have come together to rate this summer’s Premier League senior transfers in five categories, each given a score out of 100 to arrive at an overall figure of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. Ratings are explained in more detail here.

Below is our rating for this move.

Get the latest transfer news The Athletic…

Tactical fit 75/100

A look at how the player fits in tactically at his new club, as analyzed by our tactical expert

A top goalkeeper such as United’s Andre Onana allows for different set-up variations and Zirkzee, being comfortable on the ball, offers a more direct option. This would allow United to move up the pitch and introduce new attacking dynamism.

Zirkzee can handle the ball and bypass players in crowded areas (as shown below). He can facilitate the build-up game and drop deep to disrupt defensive units or avoid pressure. He also excels at tackles, attempting 4.2 of them per 90 minutes (putting him in the 90th percentile – meaning only 10 per cent of players performed more), compared to colleague Rasmus Hojlund’s 1.77 for United last season.

DEEPER

Man Utd new boy Zirkzee: Striker with a ‘unicorn’ skill set who offers something different

His ability to link play with Hojlund, who thrives in space, could relieve the Dane of the burden of dealing with both opposition centre-backs. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho could benefit by focusing on the vertical stretch of the other team’s back line with runs at the back.

In this match against Napoli in May, Zirkzee’s link-up game was on display as he frequently looked for passes from Riccardo Calafiori, confidently receiving with his back to goal to get his teammates involved.

Here, by dropping deep, the Netherlands international creates space before exploiting it when he receives the ball from Remo Freuler.

As in the clip above, Zirkzee is confident taking the ball into the final third (averaging 1.5 carries per 90, 84th percentile, compared to Hojlund’s 1.06). He is also fearless in possession, can strike with either foot, turn in either direction and deceive opponents with accurate dunks and passes.

In the clip below, we can see Zirkzee showing these qualities against Cesena last August. Receiving the ball from Lewis Ferguson, he deftly tricks Giuseppe Prestia into a turn before scoring.

Zirkzee is slightly outpacing his expected goals, posting 11 from 9.01 xG for a 0.37 per 90 rate, which is less than Hojlund’s 0.51.

His role in creating the passing nets for United will be important as he can receive direct balls, bypass opposition presses and drop them to third runners.

As shown below, Zirkzee also has a wide variety of runs, predominantly behind the defensive line or in front of the ball.

Despite his qualities, the transition to the Premier League could be a considerable step up from both the Belgian Pro League (where he spent time on loan at Anderlecht) and Serie A.

Gillian Kasirye

Season rating – 63/100

Player rating over the course of last season using The Athletic’s data team stats

Zirkzee came of age under Thiago Motta at Bologna last season.

Under the Italian, who has now moved to Juventus, he played primarily as a lone striker and scored 11 league goals as Bologna qualified for the Champions League for the first time. With five league assists in addition to those goals, he provided much more than a presence in the penalty box.

(Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

While the numbers are impressive, his ability to link attacks together will excite United fans. With Hojlund developing at the front of the line, Zirkzee’s slalom runs through the midfield, as demonstrated on several occasions last season when he came deep to receive the ball out of defence, can free up the Denmark international for to focus on affecting play closer to goal.

Elias Burke

Game rating – 78/100

Rate the player against Football Manager 2024 data for both current and potential ability

According to Football Manager, Zirkzee is a top quality striker in the Premier League with the potential to develop into one of the best in the league in his position.

His current tally of 147 is comparable to that of Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, who finished his 2023-24 Premier League debut season strongly to hit 14 goals in 35 league appearances after struggling to be established in the first months. Interestingly, Sports Interactive’s comprehensive scouting network ranks him above Hojlund (140), who is two years younger, at this stage.

While he’s an improvement over United’s current options, in FM24’s reckoning, his potential is worth getting excited about.

Zirkzee, who his Bologna manager Motta compared to Ronaldinho, has a potential capacity of 165. This would put him in a similar category to Gabriel Jesus (165) and Leroy Sane (168).

Elias Burke

Financial value rating — 61/100

A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms – and whether it makes sense for his new club

Market value — 13/25

The £35m outlay for Zirkzee is considerable but not excessive. Although he has yet to prove himself a consistent goalscorer at elite level and only earned his first senior cap off the bench in the Netherlands’ quarter-final win over Turkey at Euro 2024, Zirkzee, at 23, is regarded as a potential world. class talent.

Compared to the £72m fee for Hojlund (or the £81m United paid Ajax for Antony in 2022), it appears to be fair market value – although the agent’s commission on this deal is higher than usual.

Team cost – 14/25

Zirkzee fills United manager Erik ten Hag’s need for another striker, but there are plenty of needs elsewhere and this £35m-plus deal eats into their transfer budget. With additions still needed in several areas of the pitch, United will need to sell players if they want to continue to be aggressive in the market.

Contract sensitivity — 17/25

By offering a five-year contract with the option of a further year, United are giving Zirkzee every chance to reach his potential at Old Trafford. This deal also ensures he remains under contract for some of his most productive years. If the transfer doesn’t work out though, United could be saddled with a potentially expensive contract for a long time.

Resale value — 17/25

His lengthy contract means United will be in a strong negotiating position should a Premier League or European competitor make a move. And at £34m, there’s a good chance United will expect to double or treble that if Zirkzee develops into one of the best strikers in the world.

Elias Burke

Risk or reward? — 60/100

Is there an injury history or other issues that could arise in the future that could make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look…

For all his undoubted talent, Zirkzee is far from a safe bet.

His best goal-scoring season to date came in 2021-22, when he found the net 16 times in 38 league games for Anderlecht in Belgium’s top division. According to Opta Analyst, the Belgian Pro League ranks sixth best in the world, behind the traditional top five of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

However, the leap from scoring goals in Belgium, or indeed Serie A, which is ranked two places below the top of the Premier League in Opta’s estimates, would be considerable. Undoubtedly, increasing his scoring is something United fans want.

Zirkzee also spent significant periods on the sidelines due to injury. Since the 2020–21 season, he has been ineligible for three or more matches on six occasions, including the last 10 games of that Serie A campaign with a knee problem while on loan at Parma.

Still, Zirkzee is a special talent worth taking a risk on.

If he fulfills his impressive potential, United will be signing a player with a unique skill set, capable of scoring and creating from central areas.

Elias Burke

Overall rating: 337/500

(Top photo: Getty Images)