Joshua Zirkzee's 'inability to settle in Manchester' is reportedly of huge concern to Manchester United staff, with the Netherlands international finding it difficult to make his mark since arriving over the summer.
The 23-year-old netted on his Man United debut against Fulham on the opening matchday of the 2024-25 campaign, but he has not found the back of the net since, while his overall performance level has also been disappointing.
According to The Mirror, club chiefs are hopeful that the arrival of Ruben Amorim as their new head coach could help Zirkzee, who scored 14 goals and registered nine assists in 58 appearances for Bologna ahead of his switch to Old Trafford.
The report claims that the Dutchman's confidence 'has been shattered' due to his struggles this season, and Amorim faces a major task when it comes to getting a tune out of the forward.
Zirkzee was not even on the bench for the Netherlands' UEFA Nations League clash against Hungary on Thursday night, and the national team's head coach Ronald Koeman suggested that he knows the reason for the striker's lack of confidence.
"I know the reason and I have my opinion about it - but I don't want to share this at the moment," Koeman told reporters.
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Zirkzee accused of 'lacking quality for the top level'
Ex-Netherlands forward Wim Kieft has said that Zirkzee "lacks quality for the top level" and admitted that he 'fears' for the striker's future at Man United due to his struggles this season.
"I fear for Joshua Zirkzee's future at Manchester United. He was brought in by Erik ten Hag, but has hardly scored and lacks quality for top level," said Kieft. "Now a new manager comes in and if Ruben Amorim judges that he is too light and in effective for United, things will get really difficult for Zirkzee."
"[Wout] Weghorst is no more than a sub. You can't play football with him. All he can do is create a bit of a war up front. None of the three strikers (for Netherlands) are good enough for the level which is required and none of them are good enough to start in a game for their country."
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Does Zirkzee have a future at Man United?
Zirkzee is a brilliant footballer - he simply would not be playing at the top level without having a huge amount of quality - but it just has not worked for him at Man United this season.
The Dutchman lacks the pace to operate as a centre-forward, while it is incredibly difficult to imagine him playing as a number 10 in Amorim's new 3-4-3 formation due to the competition in that area of the field.
Rasmus Hojlund is expected to remain Man United's first-choice striker under Amorim, while it is likely that a new centre-forward will arrive next summer, with both Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres said to be wanted.
As a result, a departure for Zirkzee next summer seems a likely scenario, with Napoli and Juventus said to be interested in bring him back to Serie A.
Matt Law
