Joshua Zirkzee has endured a wide range of emotions since arriving at Manchester United in the summer of 2024. The Premier League giants decided to invest in the Dutchman following an impressive campaign with Bologna.
Zirkzee had a dream debut with the Red Devils, coming off the bench to score in the 1-0 win over Fulham. It has been a topsy-turvy ride for the 24 year old since.
From getting booed by the Old Trafford crowd to scoring the decisive fifth penalty against Arsenal in the FA Cup Third Round, Zirzkee struggled for consistency during his first season with United.
The Red Devils signed Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig to lead the line this summer, further complicating the Dutchman’s situation.
Just 82 minutes of first team football
Sesko arrived at the Theatre of Dreams with a lot of expectations, although he is yet to live up to the billing. Amorim, however, has kept his faith in the Slovenian so far, and Zirkzee is now a peripheral figure at United.
The Dutchman has registered just 82 minutes of first team football from four appearances, all of which were from the bench.
With Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo also in Ruben Amorim’s roster, Zirkzee’s situation is unlikely to improve in the coming days.
It now appears that he could have the chance to return to Italy in 2026.
A decision to be made in January
According to journalist Peter O’Rourke, Zirkzee could be tempted to leave United in January if his situation doesn’t improve in the coming weeks.
“A lot will depend on what Zirkzee wants to do. If he’s not playing regularly under Amorim, he might push or consider a move away, particularly with the next summer’s World Cup approaching,” said O’Rourke.
“He’s only made three appearances in the Premier League this season, and has played just 82 minutes in total.
“He isn’t happy with that situation, but obviously Amorim spent heavily on attacking reinforcements in the summer with Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo.”
O’Rourke added that Juventus are among the clubs eyeing the Dutchman with interest at the moment. He said: “There’s always been interest in Zirkzee from Italy because of how well he did for Bologna before his move to Man United, so Como and Juventus are keeping tabs on his situation.”
“If the player isn’t playing regularly between now and January, that will be an issue for him and he could push to leave Man United.”
Zirkzee is under contract with United until 2029, and has registered seven goals from 53 games in all competitions since joining the Red Devils. Interestingly, he found the back of the net 12 times in 37 games for Bologna in the 2023/24 campaign.
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. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
