INEOS identify Man Utd ‘lost cause’ who will ‘make way’ for ‘proven’ star in transfer market

Man Utd are ready to replace summer signing Joshua Zirkzee after just a few months at Old Trafford, according to reports.

The Red Devils have made a terrible start to the new Premier League season with Erik ten Hag getting fired after picking up just three wins from nine matches.

Ruud van Nistelrooy took over as interim boss for a few weeks and managed to put another four points on the board from two Premier League fixtures before Ruben Amorim arrived as the new Man Utd head coach.

Amorim began his reign with a 1-1 draw on the road at Ipswich Town with the point moving them up one place in the Premier League table to 12th.

Only Everton, Southampton and Crystal Palace have scored fewer goals than Man Utd in the Premier League this season with Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Zirkzee struggling to find regular contributions.

And now the Manchester Evening News has revealed that co-owners INEOS and the rest of the Man Utd board have decided Zirkzee – who has been linked with a return to Serie A – is already a ‘lost cause’ just a few months after signing him from Bologna for £37.5m in the summer transfer window.

The report claims: ‘Senior figures at United privately feel Zirkzee is a lost cause. United will need a proven goalscorer next year and someone has to make way.’

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Former Man Utd striker Dwight Yorke has been outspoken about the Red Devils frontline and reckons the Premier League club have been “bringing in kids to do a man’s job”.

Yorke said last month: “We’ve asked these young boys to come in and do a man’s job at United. The expectation is really high. Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee, these guys are unknown. At United you always had someone you could learn from.

“When I came in, Teddy and Cole, they’d already set the standards. There’s nobody with those standards at United right now. These players are coming in with nobody around them to learn from.

“Unless you bring in an established player, you’re bringing in kids to do a man’s job. They’re still in that learning process until you get to 25 or 26. Then you’ve done your apprenticeship.”

Yorke added: “Of course, there are exceptions like [Erling] Haaland, but we’ve got guys still trying to find their feet at the club, let alone the Premier League. We don’t have that kind of presence up top, to threaten defenders.

“When we used to play, there was always a name like Van Nistelrooy, me, and Wayne Rooney. Defenders don’t look forward to that. Now we’ve got Hojlund and Zirkzee, not household names to give you sleepless nights.

“That’s why United are easy to play against, they don’t pose a threat like they used to. Yes, they’ve got good players. Rashford on his day is as good as anyone else. Amad, who’s a young kid coming in, has looked promising when he’s played.

“Antony is not producing. We’ve got a mixture of everything. We’re all hoping that these guys are going to come to the forefront, but they’re young boys, still learning.”