Journo: ‘Intriguing’ Man United deal for first-team star could still materialise before Monday’s deadline

As we head into the very closing stages of the winter window, there is still a chance Joshua Zirkzee could leave Manchester United.The forward would have to fully recover from his current injury in order to complete a move, though.Joshua Zirkzee: The state of play(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)MailSport’s Nathan Salt addressed the situation this week, stating that the Dutch international is the ‘most intriguing senior player that could depart’ before Monday’s transfer deadline.Meanwhile, it’s now expected that Manuel Ugarte will stay put ‘until the summer’ despite receiving approaches from Ajax and Galatasaray.Zirkzee has yet to feature for United since Michael Carrick took the reins due to an unspecified injury setback, so it’s unknown how he will slot into the side when fit.The scintillating form of African Cup of Nations returnees Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo has led to Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha being dropped for the last two fixtures, so Zirkzee might be sweating over the role he can play throughout the second half of the campaign.Zirkzee facing major battle for minutes(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Minutes were already hard to come by at Old Trafford this season due to United’s lack of European football, so the fact they’ve since been knocked out of both cup competitions means it’s a real scramble for game time, especially in attack. Appearances (starts) Goals Assists Unused substitute Minutes played 14 (4) 2 1 7 482 *Zirkzee in the Premier League this season (Transfermarkt)That being said, Patrick Dorgu has, unfortunately, been hit with a 10-week layoff following a hamstring problem he sustained in the win over Arsenal. Dorgu had been thriving on the wing in recent weeks, so Carrick will now go back to the drawing board and reassess his tactics – which could pave the way for Zirkzee to come into the fold.Should the 24-year-old personally decide that a move elsewhere is the most suitable option for him, AS Roma and Juventus are ready to offer him a route back to Serie A.