Manchester United are reportedly keen on a £42 million striker but his former coach feels that another Premier League club may be the ideal destination – Liverpool.
Possessing an elegance and a balleticism which belies his 6ft-something frame, and a velvet-toed first touch to boot, one of the rising stars of European football has been likened to a pair of former Manchester United heroes; Dimitar Berbatov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
According to reports, the Red Devils scouted the forward – alongside Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners – earlier this month.
But perhaps there is another formerly North West based number nine who’s footsteps Joshua Zirkzee could follow. Ferry Verbeek, the coach who discovered Zirkzee at VV Hekelingen in his native Netherlands, sees the mercurial, often magical frontman playing a role Roberto Firmino made his own down the road at Anfield.
Manchester United like Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee
“I think he would definitely have a bright future at Milan. At Liverpool or Barcelona, however, he would be better off in his element, with a lot of high pressing and a lot of ball possession,” Verbeek tells Sport Italia.
Those of a Man United persuasion, however, will argue that Zirkzee’s ability to drop deep and knit the midfield to the attack – operating as a number ten as well as a number nine – would also come in very handy at Old Trafford. Especially as a more subtle, roving alternative to the classic number nine that is Rasmus Hojlund.
It is not too much of a stretch to suggest that Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho could benefit – a la Sadio Mane and Mo Salah – alongside the presence of a highly-intelligent, highly-technical ‘nine-and-a-half’ like Zirkzee.
Bologna chasing Champions League spot
“No, I’m really not surprised at all (to see Zirkzee play so well),” Verbeek adds, the former Bayern Munich starlet scoring 11 goals and setting up six more for a Bologna side chasing Champions League qualification under the similarly United-linked Thiago Motta.
“You can see that he is in the right club where he can mature. You can see that he is having a lot of fun, that he is motivated and has grown a little in his mentality and relationships compared to three or four years ago.
“I would say maybe his left foot could use some work. This way his ball control would improve even more, and he could control it with two soft feet.”
The expectation is that Man United will sign a striker this summer. The only question is whether it is another up-and-coming, Hojlund-esque youngster, or a more experienced option like Ivan Toney or Serhou Guirassy.