- Joshua Zirkzee has been praised for his performance against Southampton
- He continued his resurgence after being booed just 17 days earlier.
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Manchester United fans praised Joshua Zirkzee after his cameo off the bench inspired a 3-1 comeback against Southampton on Thursday night.
After being outplayed in the first half and finding themselves a goal down, United needed to make a change, and Ruben Amorim decided to bring on Zirkzee for Rasmus Hojlund in the 53rd minute.
The £36.5m summer signing immediately began to pose problems for Southampton as United increased the pressure and the hosts got their reward when Amad Diallo scored a hat-trick in the final 10 minutes to seal the three points.
Diallo understandably received plenty of applause after the final whistle, but United fans were also keen to recognize Zirkzee's contribution just 17 days after he was substituted and booed in the 33rd minute of their previous home game against Newcastle.
“Zirkzee deserves a lot of credit for tonight, when he showed up he delivered,” one fan wrote on X. “A game changer.”
Another added: “Give some respect to Joshua Zirkzee's name.” “He may not have officially scored a goal or an assist, but he completely changed this game for Manchester United.”
Man United fans have claimed that Joshua Zirkzee turned the game in their favor against Southampton.
Zirkzee came off the bench when United were down 1-0 and won 3-1.
Zirkzee was booed after being substituted in the 33rd minute of United's previous home game, but has begun to win over the fans.
Meanwhile, one supporter claimed Zirkzee and Diallo were the only United players who could leave Old Trafford with their heads held high.
“Obviously Amad will get all the plaudits, but it was Zirkzee tonight who changed the game. Terrible performance if we're honest. But those two are positives,” they wrote.
Zirkzee has been used sparingly since arriving from Bologna, and his United career already appeared to be at a crossroads after his dismal performance against Newcastle, in which the fans turned against him.
But he was United's hero at the weekend against Arsenal in the FA Cup when he scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out, and he impressed again on Thursday night.
One fan insisted he should now start matches ahead of Hojlund after finally finding form.
“Zirkzee should start indefinitely ahead of Hojlund,” they stated in X.
“He actually provided something remarkable and put United on the pitch. He connects the team much better and engages them much more throughout the game.”
