Manchester United and Ruben Amorim managed to ease some pressure with an impressive 2-0 win over Sunderland last weekend in the Premier League. However, their start to the new season has been mixed so far.
The Red Devils, despite showing an improvement in their style of play, have not managed to gel as a team yet. The arrival of new signings and a brand-new forward line has not helped anyone’s cause, although each passing week shows improvement.
The arrival of new attackers has seen some of the previous ones sidelined, and one such player is Joshua Zirkzee. Ruben Amorim has hardly given the Dutchman a run-out so far this season, and his career at Old Trafford appears to be stalling.
The World Cup factor
Now, according to the Daily Briefing via Caught Offside, Zirkzee is keen to leave Manchester United in January, in search of regular game time, as he fears missing out on a World Cup berth with the Netherlands next summer.
Many players, such as Anthony, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford, have left Manchester United this summer and thrived at their new clubs, and Zirkzee could be hoping for a similar renaissance if he leaves Old Trafford in January.
Juventus, AC Milan and Como are keen on taking the former Bologna attacker back to Serie A, while West Ham United, Brighton and Aston Villa could give him a chance to stay in England and continue in the Premier League.
A decent performer
Zirkzee has looked very good for Man Utd when given a chance, but the expectations placed on him do not suit the type of player he is. The Dutchman does not seem like the player who would be a consistent goalscorer, but he would thrive playing off a conventional number nine, like Sesko.
Without doubt, in terms of technical ability, Zirkzee is up there with many of the options in the Man Utd squad. It is baffling why Amorim does not want to give him more chances to impress and make a case for himself.
The next two months could effectively make-or-break Zirkzee’s career in a Man Utd shirt. If he manages to work his way back into Amorim’s plans, he could stay beyond January. If not, this would have to go down as yet another failed transfer for the Red Devils in recent seasons. Let us hope it does not come to that.