Joshua Zirkzee anticipates wearing the no9 or no11 shirt at Manchester United next season, but admits the decision may ultimately rest with new teammate Rasmus Hojlund.
Zirkzee, 23, became United’s first signing of the summer after arriving from Bologna in a deal worth £36million on Monday. He could soon be followed by Leny Yoro, with the Lille sensation having undergone the first stage of his medical in Manchester ahead of his move from France.
The Netherlands international will offer United a versatile option in attack, finishing the 2023-24 season as Bologna’s top scorer as they qualified for the Champions League.
His first interview with club media was released on Wednesday with the forward revealing his idols growing up were Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
His squad number has still to be confirmed however with the no9 vacant following Anthony Martial’s departure at the end of his contract.
Zirkzee has his eye on the famous no9 but admits Hojlund may get the nod ahead of him.
The Denmark international, who like Zirkzee, arrived at Old Trafford from Serie A, established himself as United’s leading centre forward last season and will be looking to improve on his debut haul of 16 goals in the 2024-25 campaign.
Zirkzee is also happy to take Hojlund’s 11 if a switch is made – previously worn by club legend Ryan Giggs.
Asked what shirt number he will be wearing, Zirkzee told YouTube show Supergraande: ‘That depends a bit on Rasmus Højlund. He’s already there and he’s also a striker. No9 is free, but yeah… He has 11, so I can imagine that he wants no9 now. In that case I’ll take 11.
‘At Bologna I also had 11, so that doesn’t really matter to me.’
Zirkzee also opened up on his initial talks with United during Netherlands’ Euro 2024 campaign which ended in semi-final defeat to England.
‘I had a conversation in Wolfsburg. My father was there too, because he is there for everything. After that conversation I immediately had a good feeling, then the choice was actually already made,’ he said.
‘The European Championship was number one anyway, United also thought that was important. That was where the focus had to be. So that was doable.’
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