Huge twist as United star has change of heart, wants to play at Old Trafford next season – report

As things stand, Manchester United appear on course to qualify for the Champions League. In that case, they will need additional firepower up top. Fans will expect the Red Devils to compete on all four fronts, and with Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund expected to seal permanent exits in the summer, they will have Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee as their only experienced striker options. The Slovenian has been in red-hot form since Michael Carrick’s arrival, but even he will need backup next season, especially amid reports of Zirkzee leaving. The Dutchman, signed by Erik ten Hag, has not exactly set the stage alight since his move to Old Trafford, scoring a mere nine goals in 69 games across all competitions. Joshua Zirkzee: struggles at United He has not been helped by the fact that his strengths are his creativity, and not his goalscoring with the 20-time English league champions badly needing a ruthless finisher last season. The 24-year-old has earned a mere four starts this season, and his reduced minutes have seen him fall down the pecking order for his national team. The former Bayern Munich starlet was desperate to leave in January in search of regular minutes and in order to win back his position for the Netherlands but nothing materialised. It was expected that the ex-Bologna ace would finally depart once the current campaign concludes, but The Daily Mail have an interesting update on this. Joshua Zirkzee U-turn They have claimed that Joshua Zirkzee no longer feels that urge, and is willing to stay and fight for his place under Carrick. His reasoning is with more games next season, his opportunities will also increase, especially as United are unlikely to splurge on the attack if he stays. “Last year Zirkzee was keen to depart in a bid to get more minutes and strengthen his hopes of making it to the World Cup. “But the word now is that Zirkzee is eager to stay at United and firmly believes he will get chances under Michael Carrick once the club return to European football. United have a difficult decision to make “Now, Zirkzee’s desire to stay may not be enough to see him remain beyond the end of the season but there is a difference between other names being linked with an exit this summer. My information is that Zirkzee is determined to stay and make an impact next season. “Sources close to the player are not convinced that United will bolster their attack in this coming off-season and with more games added to the schedule, Zirkzee believes Carrick will give him more opportunities to play.” United have quite the decision on their hands in case Joshua Zirkzee chooses to stay. Serie A clubs are interested, but a lot might depend on how much they are offered and the replacement options on the market. Feature image Ion Alcoba Beitia 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25