Manchester United fans showered Joshua Zirkzee with praise after his cameo appearance from the bench inspired a 3-1 comeback win against Southampton on Thursday evening.
After being outplayed and conceding a goal in the first half, United had to make a change, with Ruben Amorim deciding to bring on Zirkzee for Rasmus Hojlund in the 53rd minute.
The £36.5million summer signing immediately started causing problems for Southampton as United piled on the pressure, and the hosts got their reward when Amad Diallo scored a hat-trick in the final ten minutes to seal all three points.
Diallo understandably received plenty of praise after the final whistle, but United fans were also keen to recognize Zirkzee's contribution, just 17 days after he was substituted and jeered off in the 33rd minute of their previous home match against Newcastle.
“Zirkzee deserves a lot of credit for tonight, when he came in he delivered,” one fan wrote on X. “Game changer.”
Another added: “Have some respect for Joshua Zirkzee's name. Officially he may not have a goal or an assist, but he has completely changed this game for Manchester United.”
Meanwhile, a supporter claimed Zirkzee and Diallo were the only United players who could leave Old Trafford with their heads held high.
'Amad will of course get all the credit, but tonight it was Zirkzee who changed the game. Terrible performance if we're honest. But those two are positive,” they wrote.
Zirkzee has been used sparingly since joining from Bologna, and his United career already appeared to be at a crossroads after his dismal performance against Newcastle, which saw fans turn on him.
But he was United's hero at the weekend against Arsenal in the FA Cup when he scored the winning penalty in the shootout, and he impressed again on Thursday evening.
One fan insisted he should now start matches ahead of Hojlund after finally finding form.
“Zirkzee should start ahead of Hojlund indefinitely,” they claimed on X.
“It actually did something remarkable and got United on the pitch. Connects the team much better and is much more involved during the game.'
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