Now that the dust has settled on Erik ten Hag’s departure and Ruben Amorim is getting to grips with his surroundings, Manchester United players’ form is largely under scrutiny by the media.
It’s always the case when joining England’s most successful club, with some signings in previous years proving simply unable to adapt to the pressure and demands of performing at the very highest level. More recently, that looks to be the case for one Red after only four months in England.
Indeed, Joshua Zirkzee has endured a turbulent start to life at Old Trafford, and one that performed a complete 180 after his club debut back in August. He got off the mark on the opening day of the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign with a winning goal in front of the Stretford End, essentially single-handedly providing United with one of only four wins in the first 12 matches of the term.
Zirkzee could depart Old Trafford after only one season in red
Yet, when the Netherlands international failed to add to his account in his subsequent 11 appearances – plus a further six outings in the Europa League and League Cup – the red flags became too difficult to ignore for the United faithful – and those fulfilling key hierarchy roles.
In Friday’s release of the Transfer DealSheet, Laurie Whitwell revealed that United chiefs have effectively privately conceded that Zirkzee’s move has not fared how they’d ‘hoped’. Given the lack of firepower up front, with Rasmus Hojlund being the only other out-and-out centre-forward in the squad, they may grow resigned to cutting ties sooner than desired to try and recuperate as much of his £36.5 million fee as possible.
Whitwell adds that the club might look to offload the 23-year-old as early as next summer, giving him six months to drastically improve his output or else risk being considered a failure.
