Bayern Munich: Joshua Zirkzee hits the ground running at Anderlecht
Bayern Munich has found it difficult in arranging ideal loan moves for young players that are coming from the reserves and youth teams in the past few years. However, the work done by the club during summer has produced good results until now. Joshua Zirkzee has been the most impressive loanee for Bayern in the first two months of the new season.
Zirkzee had a miserable pre-season with Rekordmeister as he was heavily criticised for missing a sitter in one of the friendlies. The Dutch striker was one of the few players in the squad that could have left permanently, but he eventually managed to secure a loan move to Anderlecht.
Ever since moving to Belgium, Zirkzee has taken very little time to make an impact. The Dutch forward has managed to score four goals in seven appearances in the Belgian league. Zirkzee also has one assist in the league to his name for Anderlecht.
Despite the goals, there is still a lot to improve for Zirkzee as he is averaging only 2.1 shots per game. Since he is being deployed as a center forward by the Belgian club, Zirkzee should attempt more shots and get himself consistently in good scoring positions. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)
Nevertheless, it is a very promising start to the season for Zirkzee. The 20-year-old forward can make a case for the Dutch national team if he consistently finds the back of the net in the Belgian League. Considering the way he has started the new campaign, Zirkzee should be eyeing at least 20 goals across all competitions.
After a strong debut season with Rekordmeister in 2019/20, Zirkzee found it difficult to get game time in the following campaign. The arrival of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting further reduced his playing time in the first team. A loan move to Parma in January 2021 didn’t go as per plan since he struggled for form and injury in Serie A.
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The next step for Zirkzee was crucial as he was unlikely to get playing time in Bavaria due to the strong depth in the quality of the first team. A loan move in the Bundesliga would have been ideal, but Anderlecht has turned out to be a good destination for him until now.
Die Roten will be hoping that Zirkzee comes back stronger next season and forces his way into first-team plans. Even if he doesn’t find a place in the first team, a good loan move at Anderlecht will help Rekordmeister to get a decent fee for the forward.