Andy Cole urges Manchester United fans to be patient with new signing

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole insists fans must be patient with Joshua Zirkzee after his first month at the club.

The striker scored on his debut against Fulham but struggled on his first start for the club versus Liverpool on Sunday.

That hasn’t stopped Cole from backing Zirkzee. The former England international told Betfred, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News:

“He looks lively enough. He’s already come out and said that he’s not a number nine, but more of a nine and a half. I think Manchester United just want somebody that’s going to score goals and he got himself in good positions at times against Liverpool on Sunday and could have done a little bit better with some of the chances he got.

“He’s only three games into his Manchester United career, so we can’t be judgemental of a player that’s started only one game and it was a big game to start against Liverpool.”

There have been a few knee-jerk reactions since the start of the season, but it is nice to see people like Cole remain sensible in their analysis.

Zirkzee needs time to adjust to a new league and he was thrown in at the deep end over the weekend. Hopefully, he learns from the experience and kicks on after the international break.

Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.