According to a report, former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag didn’t want the club to sign Joshua Zirkzee in the summer transfer window.
Zirkzee joined Man Utd from Bologna after helping the Serie A side qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
The Dutch international had a £34million release clause in his contract but the Red Devils agreed to pay £36.5m in a more favourable payment structure.
He had a dream debut, scoring off the bench against Fulham to hand Ten Hag’s side a victory on matchday one in the Premier League.
Since then, Zirkzee has failed to score and has looked miles off the pace.
He only had three touches after coming on in the 83rd minute against Chelsea on Sunday and has recorded one shot on target in his last five Premier League appearances.
It has been very difficult for Zirkzee, who is already being linked with a return to Italy amidst reported interest from Juventus. The Old Lady are now managed by the 23-year-old’s boss at Bologna, Thiago Motta.
New Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim might have a masterplan to bring the best out of Zirkzee just as he has done with Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting, though it has been revealed that the Dutchman was not someone Ten Hag wanted to sign in the summer – presumably because he has never played for Ajax.
Man Utd summer signing reported for work ‘overweight’
According to a pretty wild report from Mediawatch favourite Neil Custis (The Sun), Zirkzee reported for Man Utd duty ‘overweight’ and Ten Hag ‘didn’t want him’.
Custis says Zirkzee reported for his first day ‘out of shape’ and ‘it has taken a while to shift that extra weight’.
This left Ten Hag feeling ‘unhappy as he was not his choice of striker in the first place’.
After playing only two minutes of the Netherlands’ European Championship campaign, Zirkzee ‘took his allotted time off’ (the b**tard) which ‘raised eyebrows among some close to the club’.
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This is because Zirkzee was on holiday in Los Angeles at the time Man Utd were there for a pre-season tour and instead of turning up to work early, he ‘called in only to say hello to his new teammates’.
The former Bologna striker has been heavily criticised for his performances this season. One former manager unimpressed by the Dutchman is Fabio Capello.
“They run, they go faster, they have a different pace (in the Premier League),” Capello said last month.
“Go watch Zirkzee play in the Premier League and tell me if he seems like the same player we admired in Bologna.
“In Italy, he did what he wanted, in England, he doesn’t even have time to think about the play before the ball is stolen from him. More or less the same thing happens to our teams.”
Zirkzee has one goal and two assists in 15 matches across all competitions this season.
