The international break will soon be drawing to close, but – for now at least – it looks as if the end is not yet in sight for Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag.
There were whispers of Thomas Tuchel and the like over the past week or so, yet barring anything drastic, it will be the Dutchman who takes charge of the side at home to Brentford this weekend, with the aim of ending the club’s five-game run without a win.
A key issue facing the former Ajax boss is the lack of options defensively – with Diogo Dalot the only fit senior full-back – although it is at the top end of the pitch where perhaps an even greater concern lies for United.
Statement defeats to both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur may say otherwise, but the Red Devils’ defensive record has, bizarrely, been relatively strong this season, with Andre Onana currently atop the pile for Premier League clean sheets (four).
On the flip side then, only bottom club Southampton have scored fewer goals in the division than the Old Trafford side, thus pointing to the work that needs to be done to get this youthful attacking unit firing.
Man Utd's centre-forward woes
There is no guarantee, but goals have come from the flanks this season, with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho netting four times, while Amad Diallo has scored once in all competitions in 2024/25.
It has been a different story through the middle, however, with the injury-impacted Rasmus Hojlund scoring only once, while summer signing Joshua Zirkzee has also failed to score since netting on debut in the 1-0 win over Fulham.
That late strike against the Cottagers marked the perfect start to life in Manchester for the £36.5m man, briefly quitening the doubts over whether he could be the goalscoring solution for United, having netted just 11 Serie A goals for Bologna last season.
Since then, however, the £105k-per-week marksman has flattered to deceive when deployed through the middle, having already missed four ‘big chances’ in the league alone thus far.
By his own admission, the 23-year-old is more of a nine-and-a-half than an out and out centre-forward, yet a return of just one goal from ten games makes for grim reading for any forward worth their salt.
Previously likened to Brazilian legend, Ronaldinho, by former boss Thiago Motta, the Dutchman now looks to be a “spectacularly ill-judged” signing, in the words of journalist Sam Pilger. Something needs to change.
Man Utd's own Kai Havertz
It is not a word that supporters will like to hear, but perhaps the answer to getting the best of Zirkzee is simple – patience.
A player who, despite his relative youth, has rarely had a settled home amid stints at Bayern Munich, Parma, Anderlecht and Bologna, it could well be time and a consistent run of games that allows the five-cap international to flourish.
United need only look to the example of Kai Havertz at Arsenal to see just how a player can overcome a sticky start in new surroundings, with the German marksman – who, like Zirkzee, stands at 6 foot 4 – having initially struggled to fire following his £65m move from Chelsea.
Deployed to begin with by Mikel Arteta in an unorthodox central midfield role, the Champions League winner drew criticism for his displays, with the deal branded a “mistake” by ex-Chelsea man, Frank Leboeuf.
Arteta, to his credit, persisted with Havertz in the side, and after a shift back into a centre-forward role, he came good, ending the 2023/24 campaign with 13 goals and seven assists in the top-flight.
The 25-year-old is now thriving in the early knockings of this season too, having registered six goals in only ten outings in all competitions. Clinical.
Havertz has silenced his critics, and then some, with the hope that Zirkzee – who is deemed to be a similar player to the Gunners star, according to FBref – can do the same.
Stat (per 90)
Havertz
Zirkzee
Non-penalty goals
0.44
0.28
Assists
0.17
0.11
Shot-creating actions
3.30
3.02
Passes attempted
29.30
30.06
Pass completion
78.6%
78.2%
Progressive passes
2.96
2.92
Progressive carries
1.77
1.62
Successful take-ons
0.59
1.86
Touches in opposition box
5.64
4.54
Tackles
1.06
1.02
Interceptions
0.59
0.14
That likeness is notably indicated in the table above, with the pair both offering a creative outlet through the middle, as showcased by their similar records for progressive carries and progressive passes, in particular, across the last year.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Equally, like Havertz, the new United man possesses that laidback style that can irk fans and pundits alike when things aren’t going well, but the “insane athlete”, as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson, can knit things together nicely as part of a free-flowing attack.
Equally, like the former Bayer Leverkusen star – who has operated on the flanks or as a false nine in his career previously – Zirkzee may not be your traditional number nine, but given time, he may indeed come good in that central berth.
Of course, the presence of Hojlund may prove a stumbling block – while he may also need to drop into a number ten role to find his rhythm – but having ended last season as Serie A’s Young Player of the Year, the Netherlands international is certainly a quality asset.
United may not have seen the best of him yet – far from it – but as the case of Havertz can showcase, it is still far too soon to write him off completely.
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