Merely six months after joining the Red Devils, Joshua Zirkzee might already be setting his sights on a January exit from Manchester United.
The Dutch forward, who made his way to Old Trafford in July for a hefty £36million following a standout season with Bologna that saw them clinch a Champions League spot under Thiago Motta, hasn't hit the goal trail as expected, netting only 12 times in 37 outings last season.
Yet, it was his pivotal role in Bologna's play that caught Erik ten Hag's eye, prompting him to recruit Zirkzee to vie for a spot alongside Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford up front. But with ten Hag out of the picture and Ruben Amorim stepping in wielding a 3-4-3 formation, Zirkzee is reportedly falling down the pecking order at United.
Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport has ignited speculation by linking Juventus with a swoop for Zirkzee, suggesting a loan spell could materialize during the winter window. This potential move would offer a reunion with Thiago Motta, now at the helm of the Turin giants, who replaced Massimiliano Allegri last season.
They posit that rekindling the Motta-Zirkzee partnership is a "dream" scenario for the coach, given their productive collaboration previously. Now deemed surplus to requirements under Amorim's tactical set-up, Zirkzee may seek greener pastures as Juve show interest in securing his services once again.
In his debut match as manager against Ipswich Town last weekend, Amorim chose to play Rashford in the centre, with Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho on either side. Rashford scored within two minutes, marking only his second Premier League goal this season.
Then, in the midweek Europa League clash against Bodo/Glimt, Amorim started Hojlund, flanked by Mason Mount and Garnacho. The Danish striker scored twice, including the winning goal, while Zirkzee remained benched.
Zirkzee did come on as a substitute against Ipswich, but only for 22 minutes. This season, Zirkzee has only completed a full match once and has netted just one goal in 18 appearances.
Against the newly promoted side, Amorim even singled out Zirkzee for a slice of criticism. The Dutchman was played in a No.10 role behind Hojlund after he was brought on in the 68th minute but Amorim has made it clear that the forward needs to work harder at getting in the box during United’s attacks.
"I think that [decision-making] is a concern, you don’t need to coach them at this level," Amorim told Sky Sports.
"You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can’t keep the ball and you [have to] put the ball in front.
"Then you have like we are in the end of the game, we were around the box with two strikers. Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he has to go to the box to have the crosses."
