Joshua Zirkzee appears to mock Ruud van Nistelrooy after fury at Man United goal
Man United forward Joshua Zirkzee has seemingly aimed a sly jab at Ruud van Nistelrooy after his comments following their FA Cup clash.
The 23-year-old came off the bench to cancel out Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s opener as Man United secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford.
Harry Maguire appeared to be one of several United players who appeared to be stood in an offside position when he met Bruno Fernandes’ floating cross to nod past Mads Hermansen in the Leicester goal.
Former United striker and interim manager, Van Nistelrooy, 48, was left furious with the decision to let the goal stand, telling ITV: “We are not defeated in Fergie time, we are defeated in offside time.”
“We are gutted. When you prepare for the whole week for this game and reacting after the Everton loss and put in a performance like that but it is decided on a clear and obvious mistake, that is unacceptable and unthinkable at this level.”
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official Keith Hackett believes Van Nistelrooy has every right be be frustrated with the Man United winner, saying the goal should have been chalked off.
Joshua Zirkzee jabs at Van Nistelrooy in brutal Man United twist
The striker has struggled at United since making the move from Bologna in the summer, starting 13 of his 36 games across all competitions, scoring just five goals, and providing two assists in his 1396 minutes of action.
Zirkzee played just 107 minutes under Van Nistelrooy when he took interim control following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, failing to provide a single goal contribution.
He took to Instagram after the 2-1 FA Cup win over Leicester, captioning his post: “Fergie time,” which could be in reference to Van Nistelrooy’s comments.
Man United fans still remain unconvinced by Zirkzee, with many taking to social media to urge the club to sign a new striker in the summer transfer window.
Ruben Amorim’s attention will return to the Premier League as they travel to fellow ‘big six’ strugglers Tottenham on February 16th.