Manchester United have had a woeful start to the season, with Erik ten Hag coming under significant pressure… and he's not the only one.
The Red Devils have been linked with big-name coaches following poor form in recent weeks, while Ten Hag himself has confirmed he is in dialogue with the club over his position. The dressing room is said to be divided over the situation, with many expecting their coach to be relieved of duties sooner rather than later.
And Ten Hag may not be alone in leaving Old Trafford. Despite bringing in multiple new faces to the club over the summer, there are already rumours of those who may be looking to leave.
Manchester United star Joshua Zirkzee could be set to leave already
Manchester United spent big in the summer on the likes of Matthijs De Ligt and Manuel Ugarte. But their first summer buy, Joshua Zirkzee is already said to be a target for buyers.
Zirkzee signed from Bologna after a stunning season under now-Juventus coach, Thiago Motta. The Dutchman was then included in the Dutch squad for Euro 2024, with Motta comparing the frontman to the legendary Ronaldinho.
But despite scoring on Matchday 1 of the Premier League campaign at home to Fulham, Zirkzee has blanked since. Now, Italian outlet Calciomercato are linking him with a swift return to Serie A.
The report notes that Milan were the most serious suitors over the summer before bringing in Alvaro Morata and Tammy Abraham. They also claim that Juve might entertain a move, given the Motta connection, while Roma could be interested.
“Joshua Zirkzee continues to disappoint,” they claim, before boldly stating that, “Some compare him to Romelu Lukaku, who did poorly in England like the Dutchman.” That feels a bit mean, for our money, given that Lukaku scored 121 goals in English football and was the fastest overseas player to a century.
Calciomercato say that a loan move could be beneficial already, though FourFourTwo understands that there's currently no interest in moving Zirkzee on. Arsenal were said to be floating the idea of signing him over the summer – but that never came to fruition.
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In FourFourTwo's opinion, it's far too early to be discussing the future of Zirkzee, who will obviously need not just time to adapt in England, but time to adapt to the next manager of the club – given that Ten Hag's dismissal is surely inevitable by now. It does remain to be seen, however, how the player will fit into United's squad.
Rasmus Hojlund is obviously the first-choice No.9, with Bruno Fernandes' place behind him in the team cemented. Zirkzee has seemingly not been trusted to lead the line just yet, with his future place in the team unsure.
Zirkzee is worth €50 million, as per Transfermarkt. His contract at United runs until 2029.
