November 5th 2024.
Erik ten Hag, the former Manchester United manager, was not given full control over the club's summer transfer deals. In fact, he was quite upset with one particular signing - Joshua Zirkzee - who arrived at Old Trafford "a stone overweight."
During his time at United, ten Hag had a tendency to bring in players from his home country of the Netherlands and the Eredivisie league. However, this strategy did not always yield positive results. It has now been revealed that he was never entirely convinced about bringing Zirkzee on board from Bologna for a hefty fee of £36.5 million.
According to The Sun, the club's new decision makers from Ineos were the ones who pushed for Zirkzee's signing, believing that he had great potential and was a good value for money. However, the 23-year-old has yet to prove himself on the field, having only scored one goal in 10 Premier League appearances.
Although he did start off on a high note by scoring the winning goal against Fulham on the opening day of the season, Zirkzee has struggled to make an impact since then. Ten Hag was apparently disappointed with the player's physical condition when he arrived during the summer, especially since he was not completely on board with the signing in the first place.
It is unclear whether Zirkzee will fit into the plans of United's new manager, Ruben Amorim. The club has been struggling to find consistent goal scorers this season, which has led to rumors of a potential move for Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker has been in top form under Amorim's coaching and is highly sought after in Europe.
When asked about the possibility of joining Amorim at United, Gyokeres responded with uncertainty, saying, "Going with Amorim to Manchester United? I don't know. I'm here. As you can see, I enjoy it at Sporting. It's not something I really think about. Of course, I am sad about him leaving and we wish him all the best."
Recent reports suggest that Gyokeres could be available for a fee of around £50-58 million in the upcoming January transfer window. With United in need of a reliable goal scorer, it remains to be seen if they will make a move for the talented striker. Stay tuned for more updates on Manchester United's news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for our newsletter and following our privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
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