One of the players on Manchester United's team, Joshua Zirkzee, has had a change of heart. Despite being previously linked with a January exit, Zirkzee is now content to stay at Old Trafford for the remainder of the season, according to reports. It seems that the Dutch striker was one of many players who became frustrated with their lack of playing time under manager Ruben Amorim in the first half of the season. Zirkzee did not start in any of United's first 11 league matches, as the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryann Mbeumo pushed him down the pecking order.
Earlier in January, there were speculations that Zirkzee was seeking a new club in order to secure more regular playing time and improve his chances of making the Dutch squad for the upcoming World Cup. It was even rumored that he had agreed to a move to Roma after positive talks with their head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini. However, with Mbeumo and Amad away at the AFCON, United decided to halt Zirkzee's potential departure. Now, it's been reported that the 24-year-old has expressed his desire to stay with the Red Devils past the January transfer deadline and finish the season at Old Trafford.
But according to The Sun, Zirkzee's future at the club may still be up for reassessment at the end of the season. He could potentially be sold in order to raise funds for a new, more experienced striker. Zirkzee has been unavailable for the first two matches under interim head coach Michael Carrick due to injury, but he has since recovered and is expected to be fit for Sunday's match against Fulham. When asked about the forward, Carrick said that Zirkzee has been working hard to get back in shape and it's great to have him back training with the team.
However, it remains to be seen if Zirkzee will be able to break into the starting lineup, especially with Carrick choosing to start Mbeumo as the central striker and bringing Sesko off the bench. Earlier this month, Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit advised Zirkzee to leave Old Trafford as soon as possible. He believed that Zirkzee would have been better off staying in Serie A, where he was doing well with Bologna, or moving to a stronger team in Italy. Gullit also expressed his concerns about the atmosphere and energy at Manchester United, claiming that something is not right within the team.
