Manchester United thrashed Rosenborg 5-0 on Friday, and one senior star emerged as an unlikely hero in Trondheim.
It has been a United stint to forget for Joshua Zirkzee. In two seasons, the Dutchman has managed a meagre nine goals in all competitions.
There have been flashes of brilliance, especially when it comes to link-up play, but the 25-year-old simply does not possess the ruthless instincts of a finisher.
With Benjamin Sesko yet to recover from his injury, Michael Carrick will need an alternative source of goals, and the Netherlands international did deliver against the Norwegian side.
Joshua Zirkzee reminds everyone of his talent vs Rosenborg
Two pieces of skill completely bamboozled the defence and goalkeeper as the former Bologna ace tapped home. It was a reminder of his mercurial talent, something which prompted INEOS to spend £36.5 million on his services.
Joshua Zirkzee, everybody 👏👏👏
🤳 @Snapdragon x #ShotOnSnapdragon pic.twitter.com/HaVg9adIZv
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 24, 2026
However, there are talks of the Red Devils planning to buy a backup striker for the Slovenian, and that could mean Joshua Zirkzee gets sacrificed.
Not quite if TuttoSport are to be believed. United have still not given up on their No.11 and are in no mood to sell him this summer despite reports of interest from Serie A sides.
Juventus are among the teams looking at him, but the 20-time English league champions will only sanction a loan so that he can play regularly and get his mojo back.
INEOS do not want to sell Joshua Zirkzee
“The Red Devils’ position on the Dutchman appears to have remained unchanged: no permanent transfer. If anything, a potential onerous loan deal with no option to buy could be discussed.”
Whether the Bianconeri will accept these terms remains to be seen. This might just be an elaborate ploy from INEOS to drive the versatile forward’s price up.
As revealed by The Sun, United will need to sell Joshua Zirkzee for £22 million to avoid taking a hit under the new squad cost ratio (SCR) and sustainability and systemic resilience laws.
Given the Schiedam-born star’s form, not too many Italian clubs will cough up such an amount. Maybe a loan where he shines could see his value skyrocket.
INEOS’ plans for Joshua Zirkzee revealed
United could either earn a sizeable fee then or reintegrate him back into the squad. It will be interesting to see what INEOS decide in the end.
For now, Carrick will need to keep his faith in Joshua Zirkzee, at least until Sesko recovers or the club sign another striker. If he keeps his current form up, Carrick will have few complaints.
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
