Van Basten: “Zirkzee is a promising player but has much to proce”

Marco Van Basten shared his thoughts on Joshua Zirkzee, calling him a ‘good player, but with much to prove.’ The Dutch legend spoke about the young Bologna forward during the presentation of the book “C’è solo un presidente” at Hotel Melia in Milan, addressing the audience and Sky Sport:

Van Basten opened by reminiscing on former Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, “He was a great president, one of a kind. I vividly remember when we won the Champions Cup in Barcelona; it was his dream come true.”

When asked about Zirkzee, Van Basten was cautious yet optimistic: “I don’t know if acquiring just him will be enough; more is needed. He’s still young, a good player but with much to prove. At the start of his career, we need to wait and see how strong he truly is. I can’t say he’ll become a great player, but he has qualities.”

When queried if he would recommend Zirkzee to AC Milan, Van Basten was measured: “He’s a good player, but still young. If Milan wants to win Cups and compete in Europe, they need to choose good players. I’m not in a position to judge if he’ll do well or not.”

Van Basten wrapped up his thoughts with a hint of humor and insight: “Who would I recommend? Mbappé (laughs). Camarda seems like a good player, very young and full of talent. However, it’s not just one or two players who make a difference; nowadays, it takes 4-5 players performing well together. In our days, there were so many strong players.”