- Joshua Zirkzee came on in the second half in place of Mason Mount.
- He was apparently shown his duties in a defensive corner situation live on Sky
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Manchester United’s tactics were on display during Sky Sports’ coverage of their opening Premier League game against Fulham.
United began the 2024-25 Premier League season with a 1-0 win at home to Fulham, struggling to break down a resilient away defence while also looking vulnerable at the other end.
Players like Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee were two of the new signings on show at Old Trafford, with Emile Smith Rowe lining up for Fulham following his move from Arsenal.
And it was Zirkzee’s involvement that caused a stir inside the stadium, when the striker was shown what appeared to be his role during a defensive move before his introduction.
Sky Sports cameras panned to the pitchside display, showing United’s tactics half an hour from time in the game, before they scored the winning goal.
Manchester United’s tactics were shown on Sky Sport as Joshua Zirzkee was about to come on
Zirkzee was shown what appeared to be a defensive corner setup before being introduced on the hour mark.
Zirkzee (pictured) would eventually score the winning goal in the 87th minute for the Red Devils.
Zirkzee came on with around 30 minutes remaining, replacing Mason Mount, while Alejandro Garnacho also came on in place of Amad Diallo.
Normally when players come on the field they are shown their role in set pieces, and it made no difference for striker Zirkzee on Friday.
Cameras showed a tablet and a United coach speaking to Zirkzee, with a defensive setup seemingly clear on the device.
He showed a wall of red dots, as well as what appeared to be a zone marking system in a defensive corner situation.
United eventually held off Fulham, with Zirkzee scoring on his debut in the 87th minute to hand the Red Devils all three points.
