United’s January deal “still blocked”, new interim boss will give the final green light – Di Marzio

With Ruben Amorim gone, it will be interesting to see what happens with quite a few Manchester United players. The former head coach had overlooked many players while openly criticising a few. Interim boss Darren Fletcher already has those players playing with a lot more freedom. Case in point — Patrick Dorgu registered an assist against Burnley, Benjamin Sesko grabbed a brace, while Manuel Ugarte impressed in the middle of the park. Kobbie Mainoo came on to replace the struggling Casemiro, while Joshua Zirkzee was also summoned from the bench. Joshua Zirkzee wanted to leave due to Amorim The Dutchman only started four Premier League games this season, and in one of those games (vs Wolves), he was hooked at half-time despite scoring United’s only goal of the game. CompetitionAppsGoalsAssistsYellowY-RRedMinutes Premier League1421100482′ EFL Cup1001008′ Total1521200490′ 25/26 season stats via Transfermarkt Amorim’s treatment had him considering a January move to AS Roma with personal terms even agreed and a contract proposal also on the table. It seemed like a foregone conclusion, delayed only due to the absence of United’s AFCON contingent. Things are now different following the ex-Sporting CP boss’ sacking. As per the reliable Gianluca Di Marzio, the Red Devils have blocked the Dutchman’s exit, and will only greenlight a move after a new interim manager is in place. AS Roma deal blocked Once the new caretaker manager takes over, he will have the final say on the former Bologna ace’s future. “AS Roma, Zirkzee operation still blocked. Roma want to renew the attacking department available to Gian Piero Gasperini and are not limiting themselves to working for Giacomo Raspadori. “Zirkzee’s situation, however, is still on hold and will remain so until Manchester United decides on their next manager.” It makes sense to keep the Netherlands international at the club until then as the new interim boss needs to understand the squad and whether letting a forward go will leave them short. Only new interim boss can give the green light Given the club have Champions League aspirations, they cannot afford to leave themselves light for the second half of the campaign. As things stand, former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and former coach Michael Carrick are favourites to take charge, but whether they do so as a partnership like before remains to be seen. Feature image Molly Darlington 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