Lee Sharpe urges Man United not to make “huge mistake” with Joshua Zirkzee

Manchester United icon Lee Sharpe says United would be making a “huge mistake” if they were to let Joshua Zirkzee leave.

Sharpe was speaking to The Peoples Person in an exclusive interview, courtesy of NewBettingSites.uk

The Dutchman has found his way back into United’s starting line-up following injuries to both Ben Sesko and Matheus Cunha. His performance against Everton last week was understandably rusty, but he scored the equaliser against Crystal Palace that paved the way for an epic victory.

Zirkzee the star

“I was really happy with Zirkzee,” Sharpe said. “He’s one of my favourites. I’m glad he got a goal. It was a fantastic goal as well. I’d love to see him get more minutes.”

Asked if he thinks Ruben Amorim has given Zirkzee a fair chance, Sharpe answered:

“I don’t think he’s had a chance at all yet, no. He was a bit of a scapegoat when he got subbed [after 30 minutes last December vs Newcastle].”

“He hasn’t had enough time. Even Sir Alex Ferguson said, when you’re a new player or even an experienced player coming back from injury, when you’ve not played for a long time, you need eight, 10, 12 games to get up to speed. I don’t think he’s ever had 10 games on the spin to get him into that position.

“He’s got loads of ability. He can go past people. He can play very simple and hold the ball up really well, and he brings people in to play really well. Like yesterday, given a chance, he can score goals.”

“So it would be a big mistake to let him go. I don’t think they would be letting him go because looking at the bench yesterday … there were hardly any forward-thinking players on the bench.”

“As much as I think Sesko is going to be a success, he’s not hit the ground running and needs a bit of time to adapt, to move into a new country and play in a new league. And Zirkzee deserves his chance.”

“It’s so difficult to come into a team that’s probably not cruising like a Rolls-Royce at the moment, the Manchester United team. It’s very much a stop-start, a little bit inconsistent. It’s a difficult team to come into and to shine in.”

What the Dutchman brings to the table

“With him, the player he is, a lot of it will be confidence-based. But his touch, he fires his passes in, he’s happy to play one- and two-touch and bring people in and keep the ball moving quickly and keep the game moving quickly.”

“He’s a really intelligent player. He makes really good incisive passes, he can dribble and beat people. he’s got unbelievable feet for such a big fella. He needs minutes on the pitch. Give him eight, 10 games, and I think you will see a sensational player, I really do. I just hope he gets that chance.”

“He’s a big, strapping lad, but he’s got unbelievable feet. He’s an athlete.”

The next part of our exclusive Lee Sharpe interview will be published tomorrow.

Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images

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