Joshua Zirkzee responds to teammates after Man United redemption vs Everton

Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt have sent their appreciation to Joshua Zirkzee as his brace helped the Reds to a 4-0 victory over Everton.

United opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark when Marcus Rashford's deflected strike beat Jordan Pickford. Shortly before the interval, Zirkzee had his first of the afternoon firing home on the edge of the area after Amad won the ball high up the pitch.

In the second half, Rashford netted his brace and Zirkzee followed closely afterwards with a calm finish into the bottom corner. While it was good for United to see the English striker move on to seven for the season, it was particularly pleasing to see Zirkzee find his feet.

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After being signed by Erik ten Hag and not impressing in front of goal, there had been speculation that Zirkzee could be surplus to requirements so soon into his United career. But, getting a start under Amorim and scoring twice will undoubtedly boost his confidence.

Following the match both De Ligt and Maguire sent messages to the striker. His Dutch teammate posted a fire emoji alongside a picture of the pair celebrating to which Zirkzee replied with a love heart.

Meanwhile, Maguire wrote: "Love it," accompanied by clapping emojis to which Zirkzee replied: "Big man." After such a good performance, Amorim now has a selection headache ahead of the midweek trip to Arsenal.

Both Rasmus Hojlund and Zirkzee have scored braces in their last appearances for United and will both be vying for a starting spot at the Emirates Stadium.