Manchester United fans were expecting a lot when the club paid £36.5 million to Bologna to bring Joshua Zirkzee to Old Trafford last summer.
The Dutchman’s silky skills and an eye for goal had meant most were expecting the 23-year-old to come in and start banging in the goals for the Red Devils.
But the fans and former boss Erik ten Hag soon understood that the former Bayern Munich starlet was no ruthless goalscorer and was more of a linkup player, who seemed to have very little use in a counter-attacking system.
All of that culminated in a painful evening at Old Trafford when the home crowd jeered as he was substituted early against Newcastle.
Juve were eyeing Zirkzee
At that point in time, Juventus were pushing hard for his signing in January and all signs pointed towards an early separation in January.
But after some trial and error, Ruben Amorim figured out the Netherlands international’s best position and as a result, Zirkzee has been on fire in recent weeks.
He has five goals since the Portuguese tactician’s arrival and playing as an attacking midfielder has brought out the best in his game.
The Red Devils certainly do not want to lose the former Bologna ace anymore and Calciomercato have some good news on that front.
Thiago Motta, Zirkzee’s former coach at Bologna, was the one who was pushing for the United No 11 to join him in Turin but his own future seems far from certain at Juve.
The Bianconeri are mulling over making a change in the dugout following a disappointing season under Motta and they are now looking to sign a ruthless striker instead of a “nine-and-half”.
Moved on to other targets
As a result, Zirkzee is no longer the target and all focus is now on trying to sign Victor Osimhen of Napoli. Incidentally, he is also INEOS’ top priority in the summer.
“In recent months there have been exploratory contacts between the entourage of the Dutchman born in 2001 and Juventus, who have now changed their objective.
“Also because Thiago Motta risks being benched and is increasingly far from being confirmed for next season.
“In the meantime, the Bianconeri directors are looking for a striker who scores a lot of goals, returning to Allegri’s mantra on the simplicity of football. This explains Juventus’ renewed interest in Victor Osimhen.”
All this bodes well for United and Amorim who have really been impressed with the Dutch ace. And fans have also taken a real liking to the dazzling attacker and will be delighted to see him stay on.
Feature image Ion Alcoba Beitia via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
