Joshua Zirkee ‘ready to quit Man United’ after talks update
Joshua Zirkzee now has the temptation to push for a move away from Man United following the latest news around his future.
The striker only joined the Red Devils in the summer, signing from Serie A side Bologna for £36.5million (Sky Sports).
Even so, it has now been reported by Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy that Juventus have held talks with the 23-year-old’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, about signing him on loan in the January transfer window.
Given how things have gone for him at Man United so far, circumstances may dictate that such a deal is one worth Zirkzee pushing to get done when the market reopens.
Man United for Juventus swap makes sense for Joshua Zirkzee
Despite coming off the bench to score the winner against Fulham on debut in the opening game of the season (16 August), things have not gone well for the forward since then.
He has struggled to adapt to the Premier League, is yet to score another goal for the Red Devils, and is finding game time hard to come by.
Just seven of his 18 appearances for Man United have been as a starter, and he has only featured in the XI twice since September (Soccerway).
While he may have hoped that the change of manager, with Ruben Amorim taking over from Erik ten Hag during the latest international break, would lead to a change in his own fortunes, that may be unlikely as well.
Amorim looks set to continue to play with the 3-4-3 formation he preferred at Sporting now he’s at Old Trafford, using a single centre-forward.
Ramus Hojlund is surely in pole position for that role after his brace in an excellent performance in the first win under the new boss against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday (28th November).
Zirkzee therefore looks likely to continue struggling for opportunities at Man United, at that will only get worse given the club have their eyes on another centre-forward come January.
That would surely push him further down the pecking order, and makes a move elsewhere all the more pressing if he wants to get anything like the opportunities he hopes for.
Rasmus Hojlund likely first choice for Ruben Amorim
A move to Juventus in particular could make perfect sense on an individual level, not just because he would be returning to Italy, a country he has impressed in previously.
Back in the summer, Thiago Motta departed his role as Bologna manager, in order to take charge of the Old Lady.
Joining Juventus would therefore reunite the Man United striker with a manager he knows and has enjoyed some success under in the past.
Working with Motta again could bring the best out of him and give Zirkzee the confidence he needs to kickstart his career after a tough start to life at Old Trafford, whether that is back in Manchester or elsewhere.
Certainly, it would seem to be more enjoyable for him more than sitting on the bench for his current side, especially given Juventus will likely be targeting silverware and a Champions League run this season.
With that in mind, Zirkzee may well want to consider pushing for a move to Juventus in the January transfer window, even just a few months after his arrival at Man United, and if Amorim is targeting reinforcements it also looks like the club’s best bet for him to boost his transfer value and move him on.
In other news, Danny Welbeck has spoken out about recent Man United transfer links.
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