Van Nistelrooy backs Zirkzee and Ugarte to impress at Man United

Interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy insisted that new signings Joshua Zirzkee and Manuel Ugarte will do well at Manchester United, despite their disappointing starts at the club.

Despite their slow starts to life at Old Trafford, interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is convinced that Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee will do well at Manchester United. The Uruguayan arrived from Paris Saint-Germain for a deal that could be worth up to £50m after the Red Devils pursued him throughout the summer transfer window. On the other hand, Zirkzee was brought in for £36m from Serie A side Bologna.

Both players are yet to make their mark at United, with Ugarte just now settling into the starting XI, while Zirkzee remains goalless since scoring on his debut for the club in the first game of the season. But with Ten Hag gone and Van Nistelrooy temporarily in charge, the pair look to turn their fortunes around. Man United host Chelsea on Sunday in the Premier League. The magnitude of the game could be the perfect opportunity for the duo to kick start a positive spell.

“I’m convinced about Manuel that he will be a great player for United,” Van Nistelrooy told reporters during his press conference. “He had a very good performance yesterday and against Fenerbahce he had a good performance. I think, of course, getting players in an early conclusion, players who are here for two or three months, we should be careful with that I think,” he warned. “It’s a great signing, he’s a very good player, professional, he has very specific qualities in midfield when he gets in between players and recover the ball for us to get us in attacking positions. Also on the ball, very decent, so I mean he will be a very good player for this club,” he added.

On the Dutch forward, Van Nistelrooy added: “Josh is a similar answer to Manuel Ugarte’s situation. Josh came in and he’s a young player with a lot of potential,” he said. “He is a typical No.9 in the sense that his hold up play is very good, he’s very strong in combination play. He’s a different type than Rasmus because Rasmus is more of a No.9 who plays high up the pitch and he’s getting in the back of defenders”.

“Josh is more of a player who is coming toward the ball and gets the team playing. In the Crystal Palace game, I thought he was excellent and showed one of his best performances,” he reassured, “Another one with a lot of talent, he’s a good age and has a lot of potential to develop. We have to look after him, give him time because he will get better and will be a very good player”.