UCL giants prepare late January onslaught for ‘Wonderful’ Man Utd star as manager makes public demand

Juventus continue to keep close tabs on Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, whose future remains largely undecided.The Dutchman was reduced to a benchwarmer during the first half of the season under Ruben Amorim, who preferred Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha in the striker role.The 24-year-old only received the opportunity to start while his two teammates were ruled out through injury. During that he run, he had his highs and lows, while his best contribution came when in his ‘wonderful’ performance against Crystal Palace. Zirkzee’s Stats in 25/26 Appearances Minutes Goals Assists Premier League 14 448 2 1 FA Cup 1 28 0 0 Carabao Cup 1 8 0 0 Zirkzee has been missing over the past week due to an injury, so he has yet to place himself under Michael Carrick’s disposal.But with Bryan Mbeumo leading the line against Man City and Arsenal –and scoring on both occasions– and Sesko and Cunha starting on the bench, one might imagine that the Netherlands international’s chances of gaining a starting role are rather slim.Juventus plotting a move for Joshua ZirkzeeThis January, Roma were considered the favourites to sign Zirkzee, but the timing wasn’t right. The Giallorossi wanted to add a new striker as soon as possible, but Man Utd blocked the player’s departure due to Amad Diallo and Mbeumo’s participation in the AFCON. The Italian capital side ended up signing Aston Villa’s Donyell Malen.Nevertheless, Zirkzee still has a suitor in the shape of Juventus, who have been tracking the versatile attacker since his days at Bologna.According to TuttoJuve, the Turin-based giants are adamant about signing a new striker before the end of January. They have already missed out on Jean-Philippe Mateta and Youssef En-Nesyri, but they have already lined up other targets, and Zirkzee might be at the top of the shortlist.Zirkzee (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)On Sunday, Juventus registered a dominant 3-0 victory over Napoli with Jonathan David getting on the scoresheet, but their head coach Luciano Spalletti still urged the club to sign a new centre-forward capable of holding up the ball like Rasmus Hojlund.“When Napoli push you back and force you into launching long balls, you need someone like Hojlund who can bring it down and hold it down,” said the Italian tactician via JuveFC.“When a striker holds the ball like that, try pressing again… Sometimes you wish you had someone who does that, but we’re absolutely delighted with David.”Will Patrick Dorgu’s injury affect Man Utd’s Zirkzee plans?On Tuesday, it was revealed that Patrick Dorgu, who was enjoying a splendid run under Carrick, suffered a serious injury that could rule him out of action for 10 weeks.The Danish youngster featured as a left winger under the English manager. Therefore, Zirkzee is unlikely to be a direct replacement, as he’s not entirely suited to a role on the flanks.However, it remains to be seen if this injury will prompt a reshuffle, which would see the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo changing roles. In this case, Carrick might be reluctant to give away a striker.On the other hand, if Zirkzee’s playing time won’t improve, perhaps a return to Serie A would be in the best interest of all parties.