Robert Lewandowski has encouraged Manchester United supporters to be patient with Joshua Zirkzee while the ‘amazing’ forward adapts to life in the Premier League.
Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford with weighty expectations on his shoulders on the back of a £36.5million move from Serie A outfit Bologna in the summer transfer window.
After a dream debut against Fulham, though, the goals have dried up for Zirkzee, with the 23-year-old failing to hit the target in any of his 16 appearances in United colours.
It has been a similar story on the international stage, with Zirkzee left out of Ronald Koeman’s starting XI for the Netherlands’ recent Nations League matches against Germany and Hungary.
And while Zirkzee was given the nod versus Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night, the forward once again flattered to deceive and was substituted by Koeman while the Dutch searched in vain for a winner.
However, having witnessed Zirkzee’s talents first-hand at Bayern Munich, veteran Barcelona striker Lewandowski has no doubts that his former team-mate will come good under Ruben Amorim in English football.
‘He plays amazing with his back to goal, he can hold the ball, he can play with one or two touches and bring the wingers behind his back. He has also good finishing in the box,’ Lewandowksi said of Zirkzee on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
‘He’s young but he’s big and I think he can keep the ball, hold the ball very, very strong.
‘Of course, he needs a little bit of time. It’s normal if you join this kind of club, a big club, with huge expectations.
‘He’s scored already a lot of goals in Serie A so, for him, that was like the first season where he was involved as a typical striker.’
According to Lewandowski, Zirkzee is an unselfish player, capable of both scoring goals and creating opportunities for his team-mates with his hold-up play.
‘Now the time for Manchester United is not so brilliant,’ the iconic Poland international added.
‘It’s a big team and, of course, I wonder that they are coming back on the right track, but he’s the striker that can really help team-mates and the team if you know how to use him.
‘He can score the goals but also he is not a typical goalscoring striker… he’s also a player who can help the team-mates, to create the space for them.’