Even tears are said to have flowed when Joshua Zirkzee was last sent off the field early and mercilessly booed by ManUnited fans. Now Italian media are talking about a winter transfer.
At Manchester United, things are not going well at all. The coach Ruben Amorim, who was installed as a beacon of hope, recently even spoke of relegation. And about his own situation, he said: “It’s a bit embarrassing to be the coach of Manchester United and lose a lot of games.”
The time for change has come. This title-winning traditional club needs a “shock” in his view. I think people have had enough of excuses at this club.”
A sad record: appearances yes, goals hardly any
I wonder if any of the current professionals have had enough of this club too? It could be. According to the Italian sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Joshua Zirkzee could leave the English record champions this winter and join the Italian record champions Juventus. If no purchase can be made, it could initially be a loan.
One thing is clear in any case: Zirkzee is emblematic of the current crisis facing the Red Devils, who, with just 22 points from 19 league games, are ranked 14th and lag miles behind their own expectations. The striker, who only arrived in the summer from FC Bologna for over €40 million, which also earned his former club Bayern Munich money, has only managed three goals in 19 Premier League appearances (twelve as a substitute). This is in stark contrast to his Serie A numbers from 2023/24, when he scored 11 goals and made several assists that helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
Maximum penalty included: In the recent 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, the fifth defeat in the last six league games, Zirkzee was even taken off the field in the 33rd minute after a weak performance. And as he walked into the catacombs, he was mercilessly booed by the United fans. A humiliation that, according to Sky, even caused tears.
Zirkzee was not good, “but everyone was bad”
“It was a very difficult moment,” Amorim also commented. ‘He’s human.’ The coach also explained: ”You have to think of the team in moments like that. Sometimes also of the player himself, he suffered during the game. And we needed another midfielder. It was hard for me to do that.”
United legend Gary Neville, now a pundit for Sky Sports, also had a few words to say to the supporters, whose whistles he felt were too harsh: “I feel really sorry for Zirkzee. Of course he was bought for a lot of money, but there’s a person behind every player. He was booed by his own fans. Sure, he wasn’t good, but everyone was bad.”
And now English and Italian media are reporting that Zirkzee’s time with the Red Devils could come to an end after just 27 competitive appearances and four meager goals, despite a contract until 2029. This is also because Juventus Turin are looking for reinforcements in attack around goal machine Dusan Vlahovic due to offensive bottlenecks (veteran Arkadiusz Milik, for example, is yet to make his Serie A debut in 2024/25 due to injuries).
If it ultimately comes to a deal with the Old Lady, the attacker would be reunited with his former Bologna coach Thiago Motta (who also joined in the summer). “I can only say that Zirkzee is a very good player, but he is under contract with Manchester United,” Turin’s technical director Cristiano Giuntoli told Sky Sport Italia weeks ago.
