A late goal by Joshua Zirkzee in his first match for Manchester United made him an instant hero, as the team won 1-0 against Fulham in their Premier League opener on Friday. Coming off a £36.5m ($47m) move from Bologna last month, he was not fully fit but got to play for thirty minutes. In the 87th minute, Zirkzee completed a cross by Alejandro Garnacho, which saved United from beginning with a home draw against seasons.
In relation to his debut performance, Zirkzee stated, “I couldn’t have wished for anything better than winning here and getting a goal as well in my first game at home.” He has been told that scoring at Stretford End is one of the greatest feelings at Manchester United. I am very grateful and fortunate enough to witness it today on my maiden appearance. It’s awesome.
The manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, whose position was retained despite finishing eighth in the English Football Competition last season, expressed optimism about improving certain areas despite their win. His words: “I have seen many areas for improvement, but for me, this is normal; it is good to build your self-confidence.”
Ten Hug had previously admitted that his team was not fully prepared for the new campaign, with several key players having dropped out due to injury or poor performances in the tournament This lack of readiness was evident; Bruno Fernandes started as a midfielder in the absence of Rasmus Hojlund , while Zirczy was initially benched after joining in the pre-season finale at Euro 2024
Earlier in the week, new signing Noosair Mazraoui made his debut at left-back after arriving from Bayern Munich. But there was no place for Jaydon Sancho, despite reports that he had previously resolved differences with Ten Haig.
Fulham, rare winners at Old Trafford last season, started the game strongly, Andre Onana making a crucial save to deny Kenny Tete but United slowly grew into the game, eventually finding victory through on a bold move from Zirczy.
