Stam: Zirkzee Needs Time to Adapt to the Premier League—I Went Through the Same Process Myself

With forward Hlohelangi out for six weeks due to injury, new Manchester United signing Zirkzee is likely to shoulder the responsibility of leading the line in the early stages of the season. On this, Manchester United legend and fellow Dutchman Stam stated that Zirkzee should learn to manage pressure, as adapting to the pace of the Premier League and the environment at Manchester United requires time.

In a pre-season friendly against Arsenal, Hlohelangi suffered a hamstring injury, forcing him to miss six weeks. With only two weeks until the start of the Premier League season, Zirkzee must prepare to take on the role of starting striker—a heavy burden. Similarly situated as a young player last season, Hlohelangi found himself in a similar position to Zirkzee, even going goalless in his first 14 Premier League games. Thankfully, the Danish youngster eventually overcame his struggles, scoring 16 goals throughout the season and helping Manchester United win the FA Cup.

Stam certainly doesn’t want his compatriot to go through such a difficult adaptation process. Using his own experience as an example, he advised Zirkzee to adjust his mindset and also called on fans to give the young player more time to adapt.

Stam said, “Zirkzee is a very talented young player, as he demonstrated in Serie A. He now needs time to adapt to the Premier League, not just because of the difference in playing style but also due to the pressure and expectations of playing for a big club like Manchester United. I’ve been through all this, and I know exactly what it feels like. You have to adapt to a different language, country, club, culture, and new teammates. It’s good for Joshua that there are many Dutch players in the current Manchester United squad; he definitely has the ability to succeed at Manchester United.”