Erik ten Hag has called for patience with his new Manchester United signing, Joshua Zirkzee after his absence in the FA Community Shield game. The Netherlands international moved to Old Trafford in a £36.5 million move from Bologna. He has been brought as a reinforcement in the forward and will be competing for the no. 9 position.
Manchester United Striker Benched in City Match
After a promising campaign in Serie A which saw the 23-year-old edge score 11 goals and make 4 assists, he appeared on the wishlist of several clubs with Manchester United being the victors in the race for his signature. With the exit of Anthony Martial at the end of last season, Zirkzee looks to start a new chapter at Old Trafford and make his presence felt.
He joined Manchester United on their pre-season preparations much later than his teammates, as he was on holiday following his Euros spell with the Netherlands. Despite the hype around his arrival, Ten Hag is not being hasty and kept Zirkzee on the bench for the Community Shield match against Manchester City. The Dutch boss insisted that any player new into the league would require some time to settle down. He stressed that Zirkzee needs time to fit in with his new teammates and adjust to the team’s style of play. Ten Hag is making sure that he stays fit and is not ready to risk another injury in the same position.
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Garnacho Impresses
Alejandro Garnacho dropped a wonderful performance against City and was arguably the best player in that match. Manchester City, as usual, kept the ball to themselves for a longer period right from the start. However, as the game went on, Manchester United began to appear more threatening, creating many chances for a goal.
With a number of near misses before the break, Manchester United could not score. That was until Garnacho arrived. With Amad Diallo going off in the 59th minute, Garnacho’s introduction up front proved beneficial from virtually his first touch. Despite his cameo appearance, he registered the most shots on target and had one shot blocked from only 13 touches.
The Argentine completed six of his seven passes allowing him 86% passing accuracy. He made two crosses with only one finding a teammate and provided the momentum for just that single key pass.
One glaring chance was created by Garnacho when he found Marcus Rashford only a few yards from goal. Rashford took that shot — but it ricocheted off the post, leaving a 0-0 score at halftime. He only won one of his three ground duels, but stood out attacking.
Garnacho’s best moment came when he latched on to a long ball from Fernandes in the 82nd minute. He did brilliantly to turn in the box before producing a fine finish across the goal low into right corner which ended up being decisive for Manchester United.
He was the only one in the front to contribute to the team’s attacking plays. Garnacho also backtracked well, getting his foot in at a timely interception and putting in one crucial tackle too. Garnacho’s goal wasn’t enough to secure a win though as City equalised, with the match heading into penalties. United still lost 7-6 in the shoot-out, despite Garnacho having shown nerve to score his fiercely-struck penalty.
While it was a disappointing loss, there were some positives in United’s play. Many of them happened to centre around Garnacho but the thing is this lad is now coming back into form and staking his claim for first team football at United.
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