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Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee has acknowledged that it's up to him to turn his fortunes around at Old Trafford, calling it a "big surprise" to receive a Netherlands call-up during the September-October international break after seeing limited action at club level.
Zirkzee has yet to earn a starting berth for United this season, logging just 70 minutes across four appearances in three separate competitions. Nevertheless, he earned his first two international caps in nearly two years this month, nearly matching his club minutes within just a matter of days.
Zirkzee entered as a substitute in Nations League fixtures against Greece and Serbia, clocking 65 minutes in total and netting his second international goal against the latter.
While the 25-year-old was caught off guard by his national team inclusion this autumn, it would be equally surprising to see him break into Michael Carrick's starting lineup when club football resumes.
"Right now, [competition] means I'm mostly coming on as a sub. And ultimately, I need to do something about that myself, even if it's not easy," Zirkzee told ESPN this week.
That involves putting in extra effort during training sessions and capitalizing on opportunities when they arise. The minutes may be sparse initially, but strong performances from Zirkzee would compel Carrick to give him more consideration.
Zirkzee Must Do More With His Minutes
At present, Zirkzee has struggled at United due to the absence of a clearly defined role. His physical build resembles that of Erling Haaland, which has long been misleading, as he is not a natural penalty-box striker in the mold of the Norwegian. Zirkzee is far more of a technical player, preferring to drop deeper and contribute actively to build-up play and chance creation.
That quality was on display during preseason, when he scored and provided an assist with impressive vision and technique in the July victory over Rosenborg in Norway, while many first-team regulars were still on post-World Cup holiday. He also got on the scoresheet three weeks later against Leeds United.
He demonstrated the ability to function alongside Bryan Mbeumo. The challenge, however, is that Zirkzee is otherwise competing for space with Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha. Benjamin Šeško, though a different type of forward and more of a conventional No. 9, also poses significant competition. Mason Mount is another name in contention and appears to be Carrick's preferred backup to Fernandes in the No. 10 role.
Zirkzee needs to give the manager a compelling reason to select him ahead of others. He is undoubtedly capable of doing so — this is a player who came through the academy at Bayern Munich and was instrumental in Bologna defying expectations in Italy to secure Champions League qualification.
When the minutes arrive — and they will, with United facing eight matches before the next international window in four weeks — he must make them count. Zirkzee is well aware of that, and now he must put it into practice.
Rasmus Højlund ultimately fell short of that challenge, but Zirkzee still has the opportunity to reshape his own story.