Last week, Joshua Zirkzee received a surprise call-up to the Netherlands national football team.
November 2024 marked the last time the Manchester United striker featured for the Dutch national side.
Limited appearances for the 20-time English champions had made it difficult for the Netherlands technical bench to select him.
Zirkzee’s clearest path back into national-team football therefore seemed to involve leaving United, reinventing himself elsewhere, and hoping the national-team manager would take notice.
Yet he has been unable to secure a move away from Old Trafford. But, surprisingly, despite his struggles for game time at M16, Xavi Hernández, the new Dutch national-team boss, has still recalled him to replace the injured Brian Brobbey.
Why Xavi was eager to work with Zirkzee
The decision surprised many fans, especially when alternatives such as Wout Weghorst, who has scored four goals in seven matches for Twente, were available.
However, Xavi has now explained why he could not resist the chance to bring Zirkzee back into the Dutch squad. On Sunday, he said via Diario AS:
“He has qualities that fit well with our system and our philosophy. He is a good focal point and can be very important. I like him very much as a player. We discussed all sorts of things yesterday and I think he can do a lot for us.
“Our number 9 needs to have a good bond with the rest and he needs to be technically strong. I really like Zirkzee in that regard. I think he can help the team. He has really good qualities.”
While the Spaniard praised what Zirkzee can offer, ESPN analyst Hans Kraay Jr offered further insight into Xavi’s enthusiasm. Kraay Jr explained:
“He is not a real goalscorer. He is more of a ‘9.5’ than a true ‘9’. In Spain, national-team coaches sometimes prefer a ‘9.5’. I hear Xavi talking a lot about passion and intensity.
“He is a wonderful, technically gifted footballer. To throw out a coaching term: with him, you can play some great passing football. So if you like football played on the ground, Zirkzee is not a strange choice at all.”
Carrick should take a chance on Zirkzee
Although Zirkzee has shown little in his recent cameo appearances for United to justify a prominent role, his quality remains undeniable on a good day.
Handing him a sustained run in the side would be a gamble, yet it could also restore the confidence that so often unlocks a player’s best form.
Confidence is the ultimate catalyst; it can bring out the very best version of himself.
With Benjamin Šeško injured and Matheus Cunha operating as a false nine, currently limiting the team’s attacking play, Carrick should give Zirkzee a chance after the international break. Who knows? He could rewrite his fortunes at M16.
Featured image by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
