Now that the dust has settled, it’s fair to say that Manchester United’s 2023/24 campaign would have been disastrous had they not won the FA Cup.
There were plenty of negatives and few positives, with one of those being the development of Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentine became an irreplaceable figure in the starting lineup last season, boasting seven goals and four assists in 30 Premier League starts.
Luckily for the number 17, United are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements who without doubt could take him to the next level.
Man Utd want to sign a new striker
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Man United are set to make a move for Joshua Zirkzee.
It’s mentioned that a bid is currently being prepared after positive talks have taken place between the respective parties.
The Dutch attacker has a £34m release clause in his contract this summer, which is ideal for the Red Devils due to their ‘limited budget.’
However, they will have to beat the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan to his signature, which could prove to be a difficult task.
Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg, meanwhile, suggests that he is now the top target for INEOS.
How Zirkzee could improve Garnacho
Prior to last season, Zirkzee wasn’t exactly a name at the top of wish lists around Europe, but that’s certainly not the case anymore.
Under the influence of Thiago Motta, the 23-year-old exploded during his second campaign at Bologna, becoming a crucial player as they achieved Champions League football.
Operating as a lone centre forward in a 4-2-3-1, the former Bayern Munich ace made 32 Serie A starts, and his performances most definitely impressed.
Zirkzee netted 11 goals across the campaign, which made him Bologna’s highest goalscorer in the league, ahead of Riccardo Orsolini.
Goals
0.42
0.36
xG
0.32
0.29
Passes completed
12.68
23.16
Progressive passes
1.38
2.81
Key passes
1.17
1.4
Shot-creating actions
2.42
3.16
Touches (mid 3rd)
10.93
20.49
Successful take-ons
0.75
1.70
However, as you can see in the table above, the number nine provides much more than just goals, despite the fact that he’s an incredibly clinical finisher, as shown by his xG to goal ratio.
The prospect of playing alongside Zirkzee will certainly excite Garnacho, due to the 6 foot 4 centre forward’s brilliant creativity and link-up play, something that's finely represented in the clip below.
Unlike Rasmus Hojlund, who is often a passenger in matches, the Dutch striker seems to always be involved in play, whether that’s by dropping deep to progress the ball or acting as a wall to bounce passes off in and around the box.
This is why analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled him “one of the most complete ST’s in 23/24,” and his ability to bring others into dangerous areas would certainly make the effervescent Garnacho thrive.
Zirkzee is also an extremely technical player who can dribble with the ball and play passes in behind the opponent. Considering he’s an “insane athlete” as well, according to Mattinson, this is rather impressive.
Having a striker that can drop deep and pick up the ball would enable Garnacho to find himself in high and wide positions where he can get 1v1 with his full-back, whereas at the moment, he’s often isolated with a lack of service.
Furthermore, Zirkzee’s movement towards the ball would also create space in behind, which would give the Argentine more opportunities to make forward runs in a similar fashion to how Harry Kane and Heung-min Son used to operate at Tottenham.
Therefore, it’s quite obvious that signing the Dutch sensation for just £34m is a steal, not just because of his quality and influence on Garnacho but also because of how he’s still nowhere near his true potential.
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