There are a lot of questions about why Manchester United hired a star player who is “not suited for the Premier League.”

Some people aren’t sure why Manchester United got Joshua Zirkzee because they say he’s not ready for the Premier League.

United paid more than the Dutch forward’s release clause at his old club Bologna, £36.5 million, to get him in the summer. He was the first player signed by United since INEOS took over.

He got settled quickly in England. On his first game in the Premier League, he scored a late winner to earn a win over Fulham on the first day.

Even though it may still be too early to be too hard on the 23-year-old, it’s becoming clearer that it was all a false dawn after he hasn’t scored again.

In United’s 1-1 Europa League draw with Fenerbahce, he did make a key pass that set up Christian Eriksen’s goal, but other than that, he didn’t look fast enough as United’s starting striker.

Rasmus Hojlund wasn’t picked to lead the line against the Turkish giants, but Zirkzee was. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who were on either side of him, didn’t seem to be on the same page, though.

During the game, Garnacho looked angry because Zirkzee took too long to pass the ball to him, and he missed a chance to attack Jose Mourinho’s team from behind.

The Dutchman was taken off early in the second half and replaced by Hojlund. Because he hasn’t been playing well, there have even been rumors that he could leave in January.

Alex Crook, the chief football reporter for talkSPORT, has questioned why the Red Devils signed the young star, especially after he talked to a manager of a rival Premier League team.

The latest episode of talkSPORT’s Inside Devils YouTube show had Crook saying, “It looks like more bad recruitment from Manchester United.”

“When there was a striker merry-go-round going on, I remember talking to a very senior executive of a Premier League club much lower down the food chain. Dominic Solanke and Ivan Toney were mentioned as players who could join elite clubs.”

He also told me that Joshua Zirkzee isn’t really cut out for the Premier League.

“If a club in the bottom half of the Premier League can see that, then why are Manchester United trusting this guy?”

“He looks a bit heavy.” Rasmus Hojlund is still getting back to full health and confidence, and he looked much better at the top of the field when he came off the bench than Zirkzee did.

After making the big move to Old Trafford, Crook did admit that United had put too much pressure on their new young players.

You could also say this about Hojlund: “The other problem we have is that United have overused players before they are ready over the last couple of seasons,” he said.

„Hojlund needed a lot of time to get used to the Premier League last season, but it’s almost desperate to spend this much money on a player and expect results right away.

“Real clubs don’t take actions like that, do they?”

Regarding Zirkzee, Manchester reporter Laurie Whitwell gave his opinion on the Inside Devils show and said that the former Bayern Munich star doesn’t have the physical skills needed to do well in the English Premier League right now.

“Maybe it’s something physical,” he said.

This season, he has been taken off guard a few times in league games because the league speed in Italy is not as fast as in the Premier League.

The strange thing is that he started off well, and that’s what he did well against Fulham to score his first goal—he got to the box at the right time to finish it.

“In these situations, though, it seems like he lacks that spark, that initial acceleration.”

„In the summer, United tried to sign Benjamin Sesko but failed, so they chose Zirkzee instead, with the release option playing a part in their choice.

“But it makes you wonder how much they really expect from this guy.” Besides Hojlund, he’s an option, but it looks like it will take some time for him to reach the level United needs.