Fabio Capello questions Man Utd signing and makes unflattering comparison to Liverpool star

Joshua Zirkzee has struggled since joining Manchester United because he hasn’t adjusted to the speed and intensity of the Premier League, according to Fabio Capello.

Zirkzee got off to the perfect start following his £36million move from Bologna by coming off the substitutes’ bench to score a dramatic late winner against Fulham. But the 23-year-old striker fared much worse in the following two Premier League matches when United suffered defeats to Brighton and Liverpool.

The Netherlands international missed two good chances in the 3-0 defeat by Liverpool at Old Trafford and Erik ten Hag hasn’t been able to rotate him as much as he’d like due to Rasmus Hojlund’s absence. United face Southampton on Saturday when the Premier League resumes after the international break and Zirkzee will be hoping to bounce back.

But after spending the past two seasons in Serie A, where football tends to be played at a more relaxed pace, former England manager Capello believes Zirkzee has failed to adapt. By contrast, he thinks Federico Chiesa will hit the ground running following his surprise £12.5m transfer from Juventus to Liverpool.

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Capello told Corriere della Sera: “I think he has the right speed to play in the Premier League. Elsewhere, I saw Zirkzee who is having great difficulty because he thinks he can still play at the Italian pace.”

Zirkzee has shown flashes of his ability so far, with his instinctive finish on the opening day of the season ensuring United didn’t drop two points against Fulham. He earned praise from Ten Hag, who was delighted to see his new signing get off the mark and justify the investment.

“He has some attributes we didn’t have. Straight away, he showed it. He’s very good with linking up and combinations,” Ten Hag said when asked why United signed Zirkzee. “He has to arrive in the box to score goals. He did. And if it’s the winner then it’s very pleasing for everyone.”

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Unlike Capello, former United striker Louis Saha has been encouraged by what he’s seen from Zirkzee so far. “He’s a player that’s very interesting and gets involved in the right places. I’d like to see his game improve with more minutes and confidence,” he said before the Liverpool game.

“I’m sure everybody around the manager is working very hard and I just want to see goals, fight and passion. I think we’re getting there but there’s also new signings that are going to need time to adapt. Zirkzee seemed to have adapted quite quickly and I’m sure the manager will be boosted by that.”

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