Ruben Amorim driving Man Utd flop to exit door as Aston Villa ‘throw hat into the ring’ for shock signing

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is actively trying to move Joshua Zirkzee out of the club in January, according to a report claiming Aston Villa have surprisingly joined various European sides in the race to sign him.

Zirkzee only joined Man Utd in the summer, on the back of a breakthrough season in which he helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League. But despite his arrival following the trend of Erik ten Hag adding Dutch players to his Man Utd squad, it later emerged that even the now-sacked manager was unsure about the signing.

Although he scored on his debut, Zirkzee has failed to add to his account since. The change in the Old Trafford dugout, with Amorim now at the helm, will coincide with new judgements on all of Man Utd’s players.

It has previously been claimed that Amorim would offer Zirkzee a clean slate, but that might be a smokescreen. According to an update from Caught Offside, Amorim has ‘already taken an active role’ in trying to set Zirkzee up with a new club for ‘as soon as the transfer window opens’.

And in an unexpected twist, it’s claimed that Aston Villa have ‘thrown their hat into the ring’ for Zirkzee, offering him a lifeline in the Premier League.

Despite this fresh interest, the report deems it ‘unlikely’ that Zirkzee would want to ‘continue’ in the Premier League – even with another club.

It points instead to a European move for the Netherlands international – and fortunately for his sake, he has plenty of clubs queuing up on the continent too.

READ MORE: Real Madrid give serious thought to Man Utd raid as Casemiro stance on Ruben Amorim emerges

European suitors for Zirkzee revealed

The most likely escape route for Zirkzee would be going back to Serie A, where he left a decent impression thanks to his 12 goals and seven assists last season.

As TEAMtalk has already verified, Juventus are potential takers for Zirkzee in a move that would allow him to rekindle his connection with his former Bologna head coach, Thiago Motta.

However, they are not alone in their interest, with Napoli also considering his qualities and the report adding Inter and AC Milan into the mix for his signature.

An intriguing alternative move for Zirkzee would be to Portugal, where the club Amorim has just left – Sporting CP – are said to be interested if ‘the time is right’.

Sporting currently have one of the most in-form strikers in the world leading their line in the shape of Viktor Gyokeres, but know he is going to attract interest from loads of clubs next year.

In theory, Gyokeres leaving could open up a vacancy for Zirkzee to fill in Lisbon, but his preference is believed to be a return to Italian football instead.

Only time will tell who wins the race to sign him, but it appears Zirkzee’s Man Utd career is nearing an end, four-and-a-half years ahead of schedule.

Man Utd transfer roundup

In other news, another potential adjustment to Man Utd’s attack could see them launch a move for Atalanta star Ademola Lookman.

The former Everton, Fulham and Leicester forward has undergone a major revival in Serie A and it has put him on the radar of some elite European clubs.

For example, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are keeping tabs on the Nigeria international, but reports have suggested Man Utd could firm up their own interest – although a summer move would be more likely than a January one.

Elsewhere, Man Utd are said to be holding internal talks about a move for Lookman’s midfield teammate Ederson.

Whereas a summer move is more likely for Lookman, it has been claimed that an approach for Ederson could be made as early as January.

That’s despite Amorim offering a show of faith in Mason Mount and explaining why he is ‘in love’ with the former Chelsea midfielder, who has struggled since joining Man Utd last summer.

The new boss has hinted that he has two roles in mind in his system that Mount could flourish in.

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 and 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.

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.