Erik ten Hag has urged patience when it comes to new Manchester United signing Joshua Zirkzee.
The Dutch forward moved to Old Trafford from Bologna in a transfer worth a reported £36.5 million to bolster the team’s frontline.
The 23-year-old was highly sought after following a campaign in which he registered 11 goals and four assists to help the Serie A outfit qualify for the Uefa Champions League for the first time in 60 years.
Zirkzee could be in line to be an important role in the first team after Rasmus Hojlund sustained a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the next month at least.
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However, Ten Hag is evidently in no rush to throw him in at the deep end after naming him on the bench for the Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Saturday.
“It takes time for every player coming into Premier League,” the Man Utd head coach said ahead of the game.
“We all know the intensity is higher in comparison with the leagues you are coming from but he was a player in Belgium, Germany, Italy so he has already collected a lot of good experiences and that will help him.
“It is not like early days when you have a proper pre-season with the team. He went to the Euros so he had to train on his own here.
“We need time to fit him in. That will take some weeks.”
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