New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim reportedly does not count on Joshua Zirkzee as his days already look numbered despite playing less than six months at the club.
The Dutch striker became the first signing of the Ineos era at the start of the summer window as United successfully duelled with AC Milan for the signing.
Zirkzee’s career at Old Trafford got off to the perfect start as he netted a late winner on debut versus Fulham.
Since then however, he has desperately struggled and missed a host of chances before finally having to settle for a place on the bench behind Rasmus Hojlund.
Due to his poor form he has been dropped from the Dutch national team for the latest round of international fixtures and it appears he is not in the plans of the incoming United head coach.
It has been suggested by other sources that Zirkzee will not have a major role under Amorim, as he seeks to reunite with his former striker at Sporting Lisbon, Viktor Gyokeres.
Accordingly, GIVEMESPORT report that “Manchester United are reportedly prepared to cut their losses on £36.5 million acquisition, Joshua Zirkzee, with Ruben Amorim considering the striker as not being ‘adequate’.”
“The future looks uncertain for the 23-year-old, who is thought to not be involved in Amorim’s plans either. As such, a sale is a possible solution, and if one can be organised as early as January, it would allow the Red Devils to invest into a more suitable option for the centre forward role.”
Such is Amorim’s desire to move on from the player that a loan deal is a “viable” option to protect the 23 year old’s value for a summer sale.
What’s more, Zirkzee was reportedly not even previous manager Erik ten Hag’s first choice of striker this summer, to make the signing even more befuddling.
Whilst it would seem harsh to write off a signing so early and without seeing him play in the flesh, there is no denying that Zirkzee is a completely different profile to the number nine Amorim has used in Portugal.
In addition, the striker has looked so bereft of confidence, it has led to numerous pundits questioning whether the Dutchman will ever be able to shoulder the responsibility of playing in such a pressure cooker of a situation like United.
Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
