Manchester United’s recent uptick in form was halted by Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace over the weekend, as despite having the chances, Erik ten Hag’s side simply couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.
However, unlike some of the draws last season, there shouldn’t be too much panic over the result, as the fact that the Red Devils were creating chances to begin with is an encouraging sign.
That said, with the club set to kick off their Europa League campaign against FC Twente tonight, Ten Hag should make some changes to his lineup, including one that could result in those chances being put in the back of the net.
Why Ten Hag should drop Zirkzee
So, one of the players who should miss out on the starting lineup later today is former Bologna ace Joshua Zirkzee.
Now, in his short United career so far, the Dutchman has both impressed and frustrated fans, as, on the one hand, he’s shown some brilliant technical ability in attack and helped create a number of chances for his teammates, but on the other, he’s also snatched at and missed a fair few created for him.
It’s this duality in his game that led to the Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst awarding him a 6/10 for his display against Palace on Saturday, considering he played two key passes but missed a big chance himself in his 61 minutes of action; it’s a rating that seems entirely fair.
Now, there is certainly an argument to be made that the 23-year-old’s creativity outweighs his lack of ruthlessness, but Ten Hag needs a number nine who’s going to finish his chances, especially in this new Europa League format in which missteps at this stage can lead to more games down the line.
Overall, it appears Zirkzee will play an important role for United this season, but due to his workload and underwhelming finishing, he should be dropped for tonight’s game.
Why Rasmus Hojlund should start
Yes, it should probably come as no surprise that, with Zirkzee dropping to the bench, it should be Rasmus Hojlund who comes in to make his first start of the season.
The Danish marksman has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since late July, but now he’s seemingly fit again, Ten Hag has to get him involved in the first team and up to speed as soon as possible, and tonight’s home game represents the perfect opportunity to do so.
The former Atalanta ace endured a mixed start to life at the Theatre of Dreams last season, with his first Premier League goal not coming until Boxing Day, but considering the pressure on his shoulders from that £72m price tag and the fact he’s still only 21 years old, he looked impressive.
For example, in his 43 appearances for the Red Devils, the “exceptional talent”, as dubbed by Harry Maguire, scored 16 goals and provided two assists, meaning in his debut campaign for arguably the biggest club in England, he averaged a goal involvement every 2.38 games.
Moreover, his underlying numbers were also encouraging; according to Understat, the København-born gem scored his ten league goals from an expected goals figure of 9.34, lending credence to the idea of him being a clinical finisher.
Appearances
43
Goals
16
Assists
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.41
Ultimately, Zirkzee hasn’t done too much wrong in a United shirt this season, but he is not a cold-blooded goalscorer. In contrast, Hojlund has shown a lot of promise in his time at the club, so he needs to start tonight to get him fit and firing for the next league fixture on the weekend.
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