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It may not be the moment to mention that Antony scored on his Manchester United debut. Donny van de Beek, too. It is not always the harbinger of greatness, or even respectability. It is not a surefire sign that money has been well spent by United.
Joshua Zirkzee’s first goal was a late winner, the sort that could have been scripted. “It's the perfect one, no? In front of the Stretford End. And a win as well,” said the Dutchman. Yet it was less spectacular than Antony’s 2022 strike against Arsenal. Or, for that matter, Anthony Martial’s Thierry Henry impression against Liverpool in 2015.
The Frenchman went on to score 90 goals for United and if Zirkzee does likewise, the chances are that he will be deemed at least a good bit of business. That only 19 of those goals came in the last four seasons, when Martial became a byword for United’s ills – often injured, undoubtedly overpaid, with an increasing realisation that he would never realise his potential at Old Trafford – and a half-hour cameo suggested Zirkzee will succeed in his first task: to be an upgrade on Martial here and now.
Zirkzee’s bow against Fulham began with an exhibition of the need for a striker and ended with an illustration why he may prove the right choice. A side without a striker at the start – with Rasmus Hojlund injured, with Marcus Rashford’s station on the left a sign that Erik ten Hag has a marked preference for using the Mancunian on the flank – won because of the substitute’s link-up play, his surge into the box and precise finish.
“He has some attributes we didn’t have and straight away he showed it,” said Ten Hag. “He is very good in his linking up combinations. But he has to arrive in the box to score goals.” Zirkzee’s return in an otherwise impressive spell at Bologna – 14 in 58 games – showed there was scope for improvement there.
The most prolific Dutchman to join United this summer is Ten Hag’s new assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy; another debut scorer, though back in 2001. Ten Hag believes his United need to “kill in the box”. Van Nistelrooy showed an aptitude for that in his heyday.
That scorer of 150 United goals may be tasked with conjuring more from a pair who were born when he was in his prime. “Having Ruud van Nistelrooy in the staff as a striker, you have to be grateful for that,” said Zirkzee. Hojlund may benefit, too: Ten Hag drew a contrast between his striking signings, citing what had seemed a goal the Dane scored on his Old Trafford bow, only for VAR to chalk it off. Hojlund did not score in his first 14 Premier League appearances, even though he did muster five Champions League goals that autumn.
At least Zirkzee will not have to wait until Boxing Day to open his top-flight account. The job-share with a contemporary features arrivals from Serie A with similar records: Hojlund scored nine goals in his full campaign in the Italian top flight, Zirkzee 11.
United have taken players with the raw materials and are trying to make them prolific scorers. One has had an explosive start to his time at Old Trafford, the other did not. But Zirkzee nevertheless finds himself in fine company.
Wayne Rooney was an outlier by scoring a hat-trick on his United bow. Marcus Rashford and Bobby Charlton got two goals. Denis Law, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Paul Scholes and Van Nistelrooy all got one. There are about 1300 United goals between the seven of them. Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona did not mark their initial appearance with a goal, but many of the United attacking greats did.
At the other end of the spectrum, for Josh Harrop, a debut goal was also his last; for Alexander Buttner, one of only two. For Federico Macheda, a seismic first did not lead to a stunning United career. Then there are Antony, now third-choice right winger, and Van de Beek, who exited United for a mere €500,000 to join Girona. The Brazilian, in particular, reflects an unfortunate trend about the modern United: for some, the start was as good as it got and their fortunes soon declined.
A test of Ten Hag’s new United – and if their recruitment is better now in buying Zirkzee – is whether an impact can be sustained, if a fine start does not prove a false dawn. But first impressions were auspicious; of a forward who could get into the box to score, of a player who seized his opportunity amid the pressure at Old Trafford, of a Ten Hag signing who may succeed where others have failed. “All good vibes,” Zirkzee said. It is a phrase that probably did not cross Charlton’s lips when he got his debut goals but Zirkzee has followed in the footsteps of many a United luminary, and the odd liability.
