Bologna gave football a new life To Joshua Zirkzeu, in the jersey of the Italian team, he played fantastic games and drew the attention of European giants, so this summer was an ideal opportunity for the Dutchman to "test the field" and calmly decide where he will continue his career.
It was mentioned that he was the closest to Milan, and then that he could return to Bayern, but in the middle of July everything changed - Zirkze decided to accept the invitation of Manchester United and it was clear that the others had lost the battle in the market, that it was no longer even a question money...
Zirkze arrived at "Old Trafford" immediately after the Euros, and his debut in the "red devils" jersey could not have been better, although the 23-year-old striker had to wait for his chance from the bench.
He scored in the 60th minute of the duel with Fulham, and in the 87th minute he became a hero - he scored the only goal for a big celebration at the Theater of Dreams.
- I couldn't imagine a better debut. I hope that this is just the beginning of the beautiful story of United and me - said Zirkze.
These were the days of strikers, so they also stood out Robert Lewandowski i Markus Thiram, double scorers for Barcelona and Inter, Erling Haaland who scored the 91st goal in the 100th match for Manchester City in the Premier League, Mohamed Salah...
We present the players who marked the European football weekend:
THE GOALKEEPER
Fleken (Brenford) - Brentford and Crystal Palace played a match for all tastes - with many chances, three goals, great defenses by the goalkeeper. In the end, the home team won 2:1, one of the heroes was the Dutch goalkeeper.
DEFENSE
Diakites (Lille) - Lille will be competitive again for the upper part of the table, despite changes to the bench and the playing staff. He opened the season with a victory away to Rams, and one of the two goals was scored by the 23-year-old stopper.
Bartra (Betis) - the fans were looking for a victory in the first round of La Liga, and they came close to achieving it after the former Barcelona defender hit the Girona net in the 6th minute. In the end, however, the home team had to settle for a point...
THE MIDDLE
Kovacic (Manchester City) - he is not paid like Chelsea's midfielders, but in the duel with them it was clear that the Croatian is at a higher level than Kaisedo, Lavija, Enco... He crowned an excellent game against his former team with a goal that confirmed the victory of the "citizens" in London.
Onana (Aston Villa) - he came from Everton and there is no doubt that he will be a reinforcement for Unai Emery who was left without this summer Douglas Louis, new Juventus acquisitions.
Greenwood (Marseilles) - he did what he did in England, and for 12 months Greenwood has been trying to get back to football the right way. In Getafe, he announced last season that he is close to the top level, and this season in Marseille, he wants to finally get out of the crisis. The start at the Velodrome could not have been better, as they defeated Brest with two goals.
ATTACK
Tiram (Inter) - was a real temptation for Genoa's defense. The only Inter player to create chances, he scored two goals - it wasn't enough to win the Serie A opener.
Salah (Liverpool) - an assist and then a goal - the Egyptian striker showed how much he likes August and the start of the Premier League when visiting Ipswich.
Haaland (Manchester City) - found the net easily in the derby against Chelsea. He started his third season with City and in his 100th game in the English championship he was the scorer for the 91st time.
Lewandowski (Barcelona) - no matter how Barca plays, no matter how many stars there are in the team, it is the Pole who makes the difference - this was confirmed in Valencia, where he was the double scorer for the triumph (2:1).
Zirkze (Manchester United) - it was hardly beginner's luck for the Dutchman on his Manchester United debut. Zirkze is a master of football, it was his masterful touch in the finish in the Fulham penalty area that showed what Erik ten Haag saw in him when he brought him from Bologna.
15 Dutch footballers scored goals on their debut in the Premier League, among them Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkze. By the way, he is the fourth player from the Netherlands to score on his debut for United - after Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alexander Bittner and Donnie van de Beek.
91 the goal was scored by Erling Haaland in a total of 100 games in the Premier League. He scored the last in the series on Sunday away to Chelsea
Bonus video:
