It is safe to say that Joshua Zirkzee’s career at Manchester United has not been much of a success so far. The striker, who is still only 25, has struggled to have much of an impact at Manchester United since his move from Bologna back in 2024. In that time, the striker, formerly of Bayern München, has scored just nine goals in 79 games. Yet, despite his Manchester United struggles, Zirkzee was called up to the Netherlands squad by Xavi.

Speaking on this, the striker told the media ‘I absolutely did not expect this‘ before saying of Xavi ‘It gave me a good feeling that the national coach had the confidence in me to call me up‘. Many had expected that Zirkzee would leave Manchester United this summer to get more game time and perhaps regain some confidence. However, he has remained with the struggling Premier League club. So far this season, he has played four games without scoring for Manchester United.

Zirkzee’s best season of his career so far remains the 2021/2022 campaign with Anderlecht. Zirkzee was a key player for the Brussels side that season, scoring 18 gaols and providing 10 assists in 47 games. He looked supremely confident, a far cry from how he looks at Manchester United currently.

At international level, Zirkzee has played eight games for the senior Dutch side, scoring twice. His second goal came in the sides recent victory of Serbia, a game that marked 100 appearances for Orange by captain Virgil van Dijk.