Seeing a player signed in the summer already being linked with a move away a matter of months later is nothing short of a red flag for INEOS’ chiefs.
Indeed, that’s been the case with Joshua Zirkzee in recent weeks.
The forward has endured a lacklustre start to his Manchester United tenure since his £36.5 million move from Bologna in July. He got off to a dream start when scoring a winning goal on his debut in front of the Stretford End, but has failed to add to his account in his subsequent 17 appearances in all competitions.
His game time only reduced when Rasmus Hojlund returned from his injury setback, too, with his lengthiest Premier League cameo since October being a 26-minute spell off the bench against Aston Villa.
Zirkzee offered escape route with potential Serie A return
Ruben Amorim’s decision to deploy Marcus Rashford at centre-forward in his first match in the dugout raised eyebrows amongst supporters. Not only because it’s a relatively well-known fact that the Englishman prefers playing off of the left flank but because the head coach overlooked both centre-forwards to opt for a winger at No.9.
However, his gamble paid off almost imminently when Rashford opened the scoring inside two minutes at Portman Road. Then, when Zirkzee and Hojlund entered the fray in the second half when United were chasing a winner, they were again unable to come up with the goods.
Alas, there’s one manager who’s adamant that he’ll be able to get the best out of Zirkzee following his troubled start to life in England. His former Bologna boss, Thiago Motta, has since taken the reins at Juventus and is mulling over a reunion with his former protegee if the opportunity presents itself.
A report from outlet Corriere dello Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, claims the Italian giants would be ‘in the front row’ to bring the 23-year-old back to Serie A in 2025, though whether that be in January or the summer remains to be seen.
Yesterday, it was claimed that INEOS viewed the No.11 as something of a ‘lost cause’, which only fuelled the speculation regarding his premature exit.
