Joshua Zirkzee attacked German media and made clear what he thinks of brutal criticism
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Things aren't looking too rosy for Joshua Zirkzee at the moment. The Dutchman has struggled for form and goals since joining Manchester United in the summer and arguably reached his season nadir on Sunday. The Red Devils were whacked 3-0 by Bournemouth in a result that meant they'll be in the bottom half of the table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989, and Zirkzee was effectively anonymous throughout.
He was hooked on 54 minutes after taking just 19 touches, only one of which was a shot, and misplacing five of the 11 passes he attempted, according to Sofascore. As a result, he was showered with criticism after the game from fans and reporters alike.
But if Zirkzee's stint at Bayern Munich is anything to go by, the criticism won't faze him. In fact, it'll probably help him. He signed for the German giants as a teenager in 2017, and broke into the first team squad two years later. With the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry ahead of him the pecking order, game-time was hard to come by, but Zirkzee made his minutes count, netting four goals in just three starts during his debut Bundesliga campaign.
Hopes were high that the forward would soon cement his place in the starting line-up, but questions quickly arose about his work ethic and body language. He was slammed by Bild for looking "hapless and unmotivated" in training, and while the criticism was damning, Zirkzee issued a defiant response.
