Dutch forward compared to Dimitar Berbatov amid Manchester United links

Former Bologna forward Roberto Acquafresca has compared Joshua Zirkzee with Dimitar Berbatov amid reports linking the Dutch striker with a move to Manchester United.

Erik ten Hag, who faces an uncertain future at United, hopes to sign another striker in the summer transfer window after he admitted that his plans to rely on Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have failed to provide the goals he expected after his first season in charge.

The Dutchman told reporters (via BBC Sport): “I think it would help [to add another striker to the squad]. You need more options. You need double positioning in every position.

“Some positions we didn’t have the choices this season – the striker position, the left-back position – and that has a negative impact on the results.”

Ten Hag added that he expected Hojlund, Rashford and Martial to have done better this season. We’ve got to be patient with Hojlund, while Rashford and Martial are running out of excuses for their form. The only thing saving Rashford’s bacon is the fact he scored 30 goals last season.

“In this plan we constructed we should have had enough goals,” he said.

“You count on goals from Rashford – last season he scored 30. You count on goals from Martial – in my first season he played very well, and also in very important games he had a high impact on our performances.

“And then bringing a goalscorer like Rasmus Hojlund in, it should have been enough goals.”

United have scored just 47 league goals so far in the Premier League, with a shocking goal difference of -1 after 32 games played.

Joshua Zirzkee, who has scored 11 goals in 33 matches for Bologna this season, has been closely linked with a move to Old Trafford regularly in the last few months.

Acquafresca has now compared him to Berbatov in an interview with Tuttomercatoweb: “Zirzke? He will be a transfer man in the summer. And, if I have to compare him to someone, he reminds me a lot of Berbatov because he has great technique and vision of the game and only scores beautiful goals.”

The 22-year-old has also been linked with a move to Premier League title challengers Arsenal.