Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor claims that Man Utd summer signing “can’t even control the ball” amid rumours he already wants to leave.
The Red Devils signed five players in the summer transfer window in INEOS’ first since taking control of football operations and Zirkzee was their main forward addition.
The Netherlands international signed from Bologna in a deal worth a reported £36.5m as Man Utd looked to provide Rasmus Hojlund with some support up front.
Zirkzee has struggled to get to grips with life at Old Trafford with the Dutchman only managing one goal and one assist in 12 matches this season.
And Agbonlahor thinks Zirkzee – who has already been linked with a move to Juventus – has been “poor” at Man Utd with the 23-year-old failing to “control the ball” properly during his time at Old Trafford.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: “Everyone’s talking about Joshua Zirkzee, said he was an amazing player.
“He’s gone there, he can’t even control the ball. He’s got the time [to turn things around] but he’s been poor since the start of this season.”
When asked if players would now rather join Aston Villa over Man Utd, Agbonlahor replied: “100 per cent. First of all, Aston Villa are in the Champions League. It is every player’s dream to play in the Champions League.
“They’re a more settled club. If you look at Unai Emery now, he’s got the club in his hands. No one above him is telling him to sign a player. He can sign whoever he wants. There is no circus with the owners.
“It’s a healthier club. Are Manchester United a bigger club? Of course. By far. But at the moment, for a player… players go there and their careers go downhill.”
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Dwight Yorke is not convinced about Zirkzee and Hojlund are going to get the goals Man Utd need to be successful with the duo “still learning”.
Yorke said: “It’s not there, is it? It’s not there. We’ve played seven games, did our strikers even score? That tells you. Haaland has scored more goals than our strike force put together, that tells you what you need to know. We’ve asked these young boys to come in and do a man’s job at United.
“The expectation is really high. Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee, these guys are unknown. At United you always had someone you could learn from. When I came in, Teddy and Cole, they’d already set the standards. There’s nobody with those standards at United right now.
“These players are coming in with nobody around them to learn from. Unless you bring in an established player, you’re bringing in kids to do a man’s job. They’re still in that learning process until you get to 25 or 26. Then you’ve done your apprenticeship.
Yorke insists the young strikers are not going to scare opposition defences, the Man Utd legend added: “Of course, there are exceptions like Haaland, but we’ve got guys still trying to find their feet at the club, let alone the Premier League.
“We don’t have that kind of presence up top, to threaten defenders. When we used to play, there was always a name like Van Nistelrooy, me, and Wayne Rooney.
“Defenders don’t look forward to that. Now we’ve got Hojlund and Zirkzee, not household names to give you sleepless nights. That’s why United are easy to play against, they don’t pose a threat like they used to.
“Yes, they’ve got good players. Rashford on his day is as good as anyone else. Amad, who’s a young kid coming in, has looked promising when he’s played. Antony is not producing. We’ve got a mixture of everything. We’re all hoping that these guys are going to come to the forefront, but they’re young boys, still learning.”
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