Struggling Man Utd star ‘bang out of order’ for summer behaviour, as pundit left ‘staggered’

Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee is ‘bang out of order’ if claims that he turned up for pre-season training a stone overweight are true, according to Ally McCoist.

Earlier on Tuesday The Sun claimed that Erik ten Hag did not want Man Utd to sign Zirkzee during the summer, but INEOS chiefs pressed ahead with the pursuit regardless. The Dutch forward had been linked with other major clubs such as Arsenal and AC Milan, but he went on to join United for £36.5million (€43.5m / $47.4m).

The report stated that Ten Hag was left even more frustrated when learning that Zirkzee was ‘a stone overweight’.

It has supposedly taken the player months to shift the weight and get back closer to peak fitness, which partly explains why he has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League so far.

During an appearance on talkSPORT, McCoist debated whether The Sun’s reporting might be true and aimed criticism at United’s struggling summer arrival.

“I don’t know what his weight is, I don’t know what his weight should be. But if he is a stone overweight, I’ve got to say he’s bang out of order,” the pundit said.

“I would suggest that’s maybe exaggerating a little bit.

“I don’t think he’s going to turn up a stone overweight with a big transfer fee, going to a big club. I would be staggered if that was the case.

“One or two pounds perhaps that he thinks he could lose in the first week of training or so, but a stone overweight?”

McCoist’s co-host Jeff Stelling cast doubt over the likelihood of the rumour, adding that Zirkzee was in action over the summer as he represented the Netherlands at the Euros prior to joining United.

Either way, Zirkzee still has a long way to go to win over United fans and become a mainstay in the team.

So far, he has managed just one goal and two assists in 15 appearances for United across all competitions. The 23-year-old looks some way off the pace and seemingly lacks the goalscoring prowess needed to become a deadly striker in England.

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Zirkzee already at risk of being replaced

Zirkzee himself has admitted he is a blend of a No 9 and No 10, despite Ten Hag wanting to sign a reliable goal-getter to complement Rasmus Hojlund in the summer.

Ten Hag’s replacement, Ruben Amorim, could come in and rectify this issue by demanding the capture of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.

United hold concrete interest in Gyokeres, and their former star Dimitar Berbatov has backed such a move to happen.

When asked about Amorim reuniting with Gyokeres, Berbatov said: “I think there is a special connection with the coach so maybe we probably are going to see him in a United shirt.”

On whether the Sweden star has enough ability to thrive at Old Trafford, Berbatov added: “From what he is showing right now, I think yes.

“Our strikers at the moment are not producing and scoring goals. We’re 18th in the league [for goals scored so far this season] which is embarrassing for a stature of club like United.

“So this is a position that I would like to see improvement.”

Zirkzee has been linked with both Milan and Juventus amid his struggles at United. However, the Red Devils want to help him develop and will reject any January approaches.

READ MORE: Five Man Utd players who could suffer from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Man Utd round-up: Benfica swoop; Garnacho position change

Meanwhile, former Portugal star Alvaro Magalhaes has admitted it is likely Amorim will urge United to sign Alvaro Fernandez Carreras from Benfica.

The left-back has hit new heights since joining Benfica from United earlier this year. Luckily for Amorim, though, United included a buy-back clause in the deal.

Sporting fans would be happy with the move as it would weaken one of their main Primeira Liga rivals. You can read exactly what Magalhaes had to say here.

With Amorim likely to initiate a 3-4-3 formation at United, it is unclear what will happen to wingers such as Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.

Jamie Carragher has explained how Garnacho’s role in the side could be changed to allow him to continue making a big impact.