Man Utd striker Joshua Zirkzee has been criticised by Ally McCoist for reportedly being “a stone overweight” when he signed for the Red Devils.
The Netherlands international has found it difficult to hit the ground running at Old Trafford following his £36.5m move from Bologna in the summer transfer window.
Zirkzee started off the season in the starting XI under Erik ten Hag before dropping to the bench when Rasmus Hojlund returned to full fitness.
The Man Utd forward has contributed one goal and two assists in 15 appearances so far for the Red Devils with seven of those coming in the starting XI.
A report on Tuesday has claimed that Zirkzee turned up at Man Utd a stone overweight and that Ten Hag – who is set to be succeeded at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim – didn’t want the Red Devils to sign the striker.
And now former Scotland and Rangers striker McCoist insists that Zirkzee is “bang out of order” if the report about his weight is true.
McCoist said on talkSPORT: “Well, I get it. I don’t know enough about it. I don’t know what his weight is, I don’t know what his weight should be, but if he’s a stone overweight, I’ve got to say it’s bang out of order. I would suggest that’s maybe exaggerating a little bit.
“I don’t think he’s going to turn up a stone overweight with a big transfer fee going to a big club. I would be staggered, if that was the case. One or two pounds perhaps, that he thinks he could lose in the first couple of weeks of training or so, but Jeff, a stone overweight today?”
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There was a report in late October which claimed that Zirkzee was already ‘starting to regret the choice he made last summer’ and that he ‘wants to leave’ Man Utd.
Speaking after Ten Hag was sacked by Man Utd last week, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher insisted Zirkzee “looks miles off” being good enough for the Red Devils.
Carragher told the Daily Telegraph: “As an outsider looking in, it feels like United are too obsessed with stellar names rather than paying enough attention to their underlying numbers. That is certainly the case with recent player deals.
“Matthijs de Ligt struggled at Juventus and Bayern Munich, so why was there an assumption he would hit the ground running at Old Trafford?
“Manuel Ugarte was a substitute at Paris St-Germain, and I am afraid Joshua Zirkzee looks miles off being a Manchester United player.
“This is not a time for gloating or ‘I told you so’ but it was obvious after the first home game against Fulham this day would come.
“United kicked the can down the road, and the echoes of when Liverpool delayed sacking Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 were obvious.
“Liverpool waited because they knew Jurgen Klopp was available and he was in charge for the next game after Rodgers’s exit.
“If United have almost agreed a deal with Ruben Amorim to be their next head coach, then the timing of Monday’s sacking makes more sense, even if it should have happened three months earlier.”
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