Joshua Zirkzee sends Amorim pointed message with brilliant cameo vs Leeds | OneFootball

Manchester United came back from a goal down to claim a point against fierce rivals Leeds United away at Elland Road on Sunday.

With the pressure on him, Ruben Amorim opted to start conservatively, dropping Joshua Zirkzee to the bench despite his goal against Wolves last time out.

It was clear from his approach that without the services of his best attackers, the head coach wanted desperately to return to Manchester with a point to their name while playing his brand of football.

He was forced to throw his plans out of the window when the home side took the lead in the 62nd minute.

Joshua Zirkzee changed the game

No sooner did the ball go in, that the Portuguese tactician went to four at the back, while bringing on an extra striker in the form of Joshua Zirkzee.

And that change worked almost instantaneously, as the visitors equalised within three minutes with the Dutchman grabbing the assist.

His perfectly weighted through ball found Matheus Cunha, who slotted home. The ex-Bologna ace could have grabbed a couple more assists, but both chances he created went abegging.

In his 27-minute cameo, the Netherlands international completed 14 passes with five of them being balls played into the final third.

match stats via fotmob

He had 22 touches in total, with one of them being inside the opposition box (all stats via fotmob).

Playing two strikers in close proximity really pushed Leeds back, who did not know whether to stay off the super sub or press him.

Sends timely message to Amorim

The 24-year-old evaded almost all challenges with ease, holding the ball up really well, while his creativity shone through as kept playing cute through balls.

Given he keeps getting linked with a move back to Italy, the United No.11 seemed to send a timely reminder to Amorim of his qualities.

Surely, he can find use for Joshua Zirkzee beyond January. Given how thinly stretched the squad is, keeping the versatile forward onboard seems to be the best possible avenue, especially after missing out on Antoine Semenyo.

The head coach now knows how best to use him, but whether he will tweak his system again for the next game against Burnley remains to be seen.

Feature image Molly Darlington via Getty Images

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