“It was the wrong decision”: Struggling United ace told what he must do to get career back on track

Joshua Zirkzee has been starved of chances at Manchester United this season and remains linked with an exit ahead of the summer. The Dutch striker arrived at the Theatre of Dreams in the summer of 2024, fresh from his Serie A exploits with Bologna. Zirkzee scored 12 goals and supplied seven assists in 37 appearances across competitions for the Emilia-Romagna club in the 2023/24 season and convinced the Red Devils to take him to Old Trafford. However, his stay in the Premier League has hardly been fruitful so far. Struggling for game time this season Zirkzee was in and out of the starting XI last season and missed the final weeks of the campaign with a thigh injury. The 24 year old ended the season with seven goals in 49 games, only three of which came in the league. Joshua Zirkzee Stats: 2024/25 CompetitionMatchesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League32322-1,394′ UEFA Europa League11211-531′ FA Cup31—185′ EFL Cup31—146′ Community Shield—— Total 24/2549733-2,256′ Source: Transfermarkt Things, however, have gone from bad to worse this season following the arrival of Benjamin Sesko over the summer. The Slovenian is now the preferred choice for the No. 9 role under Amorim, pushing Zirkzee to the fringes. The Dutchman has managed just 90 minutes of first-team football this season, all of which were from the bench. Despite Sesko’s struggles, Amorim has stuck with the Slovenian, leaving Zirkzee frustrated. Recent reports state the player is ready to return to Serie A in January to get his career back on track. Dutch legend Ruud Gullit has now weighed in on the situation. Should have stayed in Serie A Speaking to Metro, Gullit advised Zirkzee to return to Serie A to get his career back on track. He said: “I think from my point of view that he should have stayed in Italy, because he was really striving.” “He was really doing well at Bologna and I was hoping that he would go to Milan. I think that as soon as he went to Manchester United, it was the wrong decision. “I mean, for a lot of players, moving to Manchester United has been the wrong decision. And whoever leaves them, plays well everywhere around Europe. I just hope that there’s a solution for him. “Go back to Italy on loan if you can. Just play football. He’s a good player. But at the moment, it’s difficult at Manchester United.” A recent report relayed by The Peoples Person states that AS Roma are keen to sign Zirkzee on loan in January. The Dutchman is even willing to take a pay cut to secure the move in a bid to get his career back on track. If Zirkzee ends up leaving, United are likely to seek reinforcements, with recent reports suggesting they have set their sights on former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque. 🚨 Manchester United staff applaud Joshua Zirkzee’s upbeat mindset despite reduced playing time. Before the Forest game, he was in the tunnel motivating teammates, shouting “go and get the win.” Observers called him “fully switched on” and a leader regardless. [@SamC_reports,… pic.twitter.com/62Oq1QM3yA — SimplyUtd (@SimplyUtd) November 2, 2025 Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.