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If Manchester United fans hope for an early impact from Joshua Zirkzee at Old Trafford, they only have to look to his first minutes in a Bayern Munich shirt five years ago.
At the time, the then-18-year-old forward was used in some of Hansi Flick's first games as Bayern manager in a season in which the Bavarians would go on and win the Treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League.
Despite not being a regular, Zirkzee played a key role in their domestic league success.
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In December 2019, Bayern sat fifth in the table and looked to be slipping further off the pace as they were being held 1-1 at Freiburg heading into the 90th minute.
Zirkzee was sent on, and it only took 104 seconds for the Dutchman to make a huge impact on his Bundesliga bow, slotting home a pass from Serge Gnabry, who would also score in injury time to seal Bayern's 3-1 victory.
Only a few days later Zirkzee came off the bench and to their rescue again, at home to Wolfsburg. This time it took him 149 seconds to find the breakthrough in the 85th minute, before Gnabry added another in a 2-0 win.
Zirkzee's sudden emergence on the international stage was the reward for a journey which started in 2007 back at local club VV Hekelingen in Spijkenisse, before a stint at Spartaan '20 got him in at the books of professional side ADO den Haag.
After three years he moved to the academy of Feyenoord, with the youngster developing into a versatile forward in his formative years, with a very good eye for a goal.
Zirkzee impressed as he played with both the under-16s and under-17s in the same season at Feyenoord, winning the league with the first and the cup with the latter and scoring many goals in the process.
While several under-17s players then received a contract offer, Zirkzee had to wait before getting a deal and that is the moment he became receptive to join other clubs as well, looking for a bit more security.
Rivals Ajax and PSV Eindhoven were no options for him, though, as he felt he could not do that to Feyenoord.
In the summer of 2017, a move abroad looked more likely and two clubs were seriously interested - one a surprising candidate from the Premier League.
The battle for the youngster was between Bayern Munich and Everton, where Zirkzee played two games in an international youth tournament in the Czech Republic.
Zirkzee will add a wide range of skills to the Manchester United dressing room, with his versatility a very valuable asset for Erik ten Hag.
In the last few years, he has developed more depth to his game, making deep runs, added to his qualities of receiving and holding balls and skilful dribbling.
His technique and creativity stand out and also his ability to put team-mates in scoring positions. Fellow striker Rasmus Hojlund will probably be very happy with the arrival of the Dutchman.
And if Zirkzee can have the same sort of instant impact that he had in the Bundesliga five years ago, United fans will no doubt be very happy too.
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Source: ADIDAS
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