Dutch media claim Man United star ‘looked lost’ and has ‘zero confidence’ after 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Netherlands ended their Nations League group stage campaign on Tuesday night with a 1-1 draw away at Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ronald Koeman‘s side took the lead through a 24th minute strike from Brian Brobbey, but were pegged back in the second half when Ermedin Demirovic equalised for the hosts.

It marked an underwhelming conclusion to the group stage for the Dutch, with relegated Bosnia and Herzegovina picking up just their second point.

The Netherlands, however, are confirmed to have qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals after finishing as runners-up in their group to Germany.

Dutch media scrutinised the performance of Man United forward Joshua Zirkzee post-match, after the forward played in the No 10 role behind Brobbey.

Zirkzee struggled to make an impact on proceedings before being substituted in the 77th minute for Wout Weghorst, a former Man United loan signing.

One Dutch outlet claimed the forward ‘looked lost’ and is a player with ‘zero confidence’

Football Oranje gave Zirkzee the worst mark of all of the Dutch starters against Bosnia, grading the 23-year-old at 4.5 out of 10.   

‘Even as a 10, Zirkzee could have no impact on the game,’ the outlet concluded. ‘Looked lost and the ball bounced off him at times. A player with zero confidence at the moment.’

Zirkzee was also ranked as the worst starter by AD, who graded him as a five out of 10.

The newspaper highlighted a first half chance, noting that Zirkzee ‘did not finish convincingly’.

The most sympathetic view came from De Telegraaf, who highlighted that the match had been a chance for him to shine in his preferred position after struggles at club level.

De Telegraaf also highlighted the chance missed by Zirkzee, suggesting the opportunity highlighted the forward’s ‘biggest shortcoming’. 

‘For Zirkzee it should be a moment to show himself, because that doesn’t really work at Manchester United. He scored one goal on his debut and ended up on the bench,’ De Telegraaf wrote.

‘You hope that it helps that he was allowed to play at ten for the Dutch national team, that is also a position he aspires to.

Zirkzee started in the No 10 role for the Netherlands, but missed a big chance in the first half

The forward has had a difficult start to his Man United career since his move from Bologna

Zirkzee returns from international duty to a new boss, with Ruben Amorim now in charge

‘He is also quite good at keeping the ball, but was mainly wandering. His biggest shortcoming came to light in the chance he got before half-time. 

‘He was allowed to take a shot from about 10 metres and then he produced a soft effort, while as a striker or forward he should ram the ball through the net.’

Zirkzee had been left out of the Netherlands’ previous match, a 4-0 victory Hungary on Saturday.

The forward has struggled since joining Man United in July, with then-boss Erik ten Hag paying £36.5million to sign the Dutchman from Bologna.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a dream start to his career with the club, netting the winner in United’s Premier League opener against Fulham after coming on as a second-half substitute.

However, he has been unable to find the net since then and hasn’t started a league game since the humiliating 3-0 defeat against Tottenham in September.

He will return to Man United to a new boss, with Ruben Amorim having started work as the Red Devils’ head coach during the international break.