Manchester United have been linked with Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee, but what could happen if the striker actually made the move to Old Trafford this summer?
It’s no shock that Man United are in the market for a new striker this summer. With Rasmus Hojlund the only natural number nine in the squad, competition is needed for the striker role after Erik ten Hag’s side fell short in attack at times last season.
Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee has been linked with United, with the striker all but certain to leave the Italian club this summer. The likes of Arsenal and AC Milan have also been linked with the 23-year-old who scored 12 and assisted six across all competitions last season.
So, if United signed Zirkzee, how could the Dutchman perform? We simulated the 2024/25 season to find out.
Man United’s 2024/25 season simulated with Joshua Zirkzee
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Zirkzee from Bologna to United in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2024/25 season. This is how the striker performed.
Zirkzee was thrown into the starting XI from the go by Erik ten Hag, with Hojlund dropping out at his expense. It turned out to be a good move from the manager, with Zirkzee playing some fantastic football in his first season at the club.
In 37 games across all competitions, Zirkzee scored 19 goals and grabbed six assists, making him United’s top scorer in the simulation. His average rating per game was 7.12, a much better rating than Hojlund (6.9) who started just 12 games all season.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best United XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
As expected, Zirkzee was part of United’s best XI from the 2024/25 season, joining Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho in the front three. Mason Mount joined Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo in midfield, while Harry Maguire partnered Lisandro Martinez in defence.
United were much better in the simulation than last season, with Ten Hag’s side scoring more goals than the previous campaign as they challenged for a spot in the Premier League top four. They were comfortably in the top four for the majority of the season, but a sloppy end to the season saw them finish fifth in the table.
Twenty wins, 10 draws and eight defeats saw Ten Hag’s side end on 70 points, one behind Spurs in fourth and five behind Arsenal in third. But, two losses and three draws in the final nine games saw Spurs leapfrog United into fourth, with Ange Postecolgou’s side also improving.
Despite finishing fifth, United did end the season with a trophy, and Zirkzee was to thank for it. Ten Hag’s side managed to reach the Europa League final in the simulation, and two goals from the Dutchman saw United win 3-1 against Milan to lift the trophy. They were awful in domestic cups though, losing in the third round of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
