After a rocky start to life in England, Rasmus Hojlund has emerged as a key performer in the Premier League for Manchester United this season.
The 21-year-old marksman has plundered an incredible seven goals and two assists in his last six appearances in the top-flight, after a return of zero goals in his first 14 outings in the division.
United snapped the Denmark international up from Serie A side Atalanta for a reported fee of £72m last summer. That came after the forward racked up nine goals and two assists in 32 league games for the Italian outfit during the 2022/23 campaign.
The Red Devils could now repeat the blinder they appear to have played with Hojlund by returning to the Serie A to sign another number nine this summer.
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According to Tuttosport, the Premier League giants sent scouts to the Italian top-flight last weekend to watch an impressive young striker in action. The report claims that United sent an 'emissary' to watch Bologna star Joshua Zirkzee play against Atalanta away from home, a game in which he scored from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win.
Tuttosport add that fellow English side Arsenal sent their own scouts to watch the Dutch attacker play earlier this season, as both clubs could face competition from each other in a possible summer swoop for his services.
It also states that Bologna value the 22-year-old dynamo at around €60m (£51m). However, it remains to be seen whether or not United or the Gunners are prepared to meet that valuation.
Bayern Munich, who are due 50% of any profit made by Bologna, also have an option to buy him back for €40m (£34m) but the report claims that Zirkzee does not seem to be interested in a return to the German giants.
Joshua Zirkzee's Serie A stats
Like Hojlund last season, the young striker has caught the eye with his impressive performances at the top end of the pitch in the Serie A this term. The former Bayern starlet has showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a centre-forward position, as evidenced by the stats in the table below.
Appearances
26
Expected Goals
8.10
Goals
10
Big chances created
9
Assists
3
Zirkzee has outperformed his xG by almost two goals, which suggests that the forward is effective in front of goal, whilst his teammates have let him down with three goals scored from the nine 'big chances' that he has created.
The right-footed attacker's creativity, as a number nine, has been particularly impressive. He currently ranks within the top 22% of Serie A forwards for Expected Assisted Goals (0.14) per 90, and the top 25% for shot-creating actions (3.14) per 90.
These statistics show that the Bologna star, who was hailed as "unpredictable" by analyst Ben Mattinson, excels as a creator for his teammates as he produced high-quality opportunities for his fellow attackers at an excellent rate.
Coupled with his aforementioned qualities as a finisher, Zirkzee's form in Italy suggests that he could be a superb addition to Erik ten Hag's squad and as Hojlund 2.0, given the whiz could be another fantastic young striker option signed from the Serie A.