Amorim’s Man Utd make Zirkzee decision as £60m alternative comes into view

Manchester United are not giving up on summer signing Joshua Zirkzee but they are also not ruling out a January loan move, TEAMtalk can reveal.

The 23-year-old swapped Bologna for Man Utd in July for £36.5m (€42.5m, $46.1m) but the transfer has not worked out for all parties thus far.

Zirkzee has scored just one goal and notched two assists in 18 appearances in all competitions, leading some to question if the Red Devils made a mistake signing him.

He was behind Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford in the attacking pecking order at Old Trafford under former boss Erik ten Hag and that may not change under new head coach Ruben Amorim.

TEAMtalk previously revealed that Juventus are eyeing a January loan move for the Netherlands international and while a short-term deal is not beyond the realms of possibility, Zirkzee could see out the season at United.

The 6ft 4in forward has struggled since joining the Premier League side but our sources are adamant that United fully believe in the Dutchman’s potential and hope he will come good – especially as the club’s transfer department did a lot of work on him before securing his signature.

A loan exit is in the offing if it benefits his development and teams in Serie A, Bundesliga and Europe would welcome the chance to sign the big striker. It would also be dependent on whether United could bring in a replacement, but with Brighton’s Evan Ferguson being allowed to leave on loan in January, the 20-year-old could fit the bill for the Red Devils.

One major block, however, is United will want to add a buy clause for the Republic of Ireland international but Brighton value him at upwards of £60m (€71.9m, $76m).

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Amorim’s early assessment of Zirkzee

There is sense trying to make the Zirkzee signing work, particularly as they splashed out a considerable sum for him and his contract runs until 2029, with the option of another year.

He will have wanted to make a strong impression on new boss Amorim but going by his display in the 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town at the weekend, the Portuguese did not appear to be too impressed.

“I think that [decision-making] is a concern, you don’t need to coach them at this level. You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can’t keep the ball and you [have to] put the ball in front,” said Amorim.

“Then you have like we are in the end of the game, we were around the box with two strikers. Josh has to understand that he has to go to the box to have the crosses.

“So we are doing some things that were not at the right moment, so that is something we have to address. Sometimes people talk about the 3-4-3, that is not the concern, the system is the system but the understanding of the game is what we have to improve a lot in this area.”

Man Utd eye left-backs

United have been keeping tabs on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, particularly as his contract expires at the end of the season.

While they are eyeing him, AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez is also an option for the Red Devils – with the Frenchman’s deal running until 2026 with the Italian giants.

Amorim’s side are also said to be monitoring the situation of Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez, whose performances are not going unnoticed.

However, Premier League rivals Liverpool may be first in the queue for the 21-year-old as they try to find a replacement for stalwart Andrew Robertson.

Finally, United, City, and more are reportedly trying to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson – but the Serie A team will want to keep onto him until next summer at the least.

Why it’s not working for Joshua Zirkzee at Man Utd

Assessment by Nathan Egerton

Zirkzee made a dream start to his United career, coming off the bench to score a winner against Fulham in front of the Stretford End on his debut. But he’s been unable to build on that start, and has failed to find the net in any of his 16 appearances that have followed.

The 6ft 4in striker has a languid style, likes to play at his own pace and has clearly struggled with the speed and intensity of Premier League football.

“Go watch Zirkzee play in the Premier League and tell me if he seems like the same player we admired in Bologna: in Italy he did what he wanted, in England he doesn’t even have time to think about the play before the ball is stolen from him,” Fabio Capello said.

Despite his height, he’s not a physical presence and most notably failed to win any of his 10 ground and aerial duels in the 3-0 defeat against Liverpool in September.

The 23-year-old – who describes himself as a ‘9.5’ – also lacks a killer instinct in the penalty area and has missed four big chances in the Premier League this season.

There have been flashes of quality in his link-up play outside the box and a front two with both Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund may get the best out of the Netherlands international.

He also needs to be surrounded by players that are comfortable with the ball at their feet, which will allow him to showcase his technical abilities.