Joshua Zirkzee ‘Would Happily’ Leave Man Utd in Shock January Exit

Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee would ‘gladly return’ to Serie A as early as January after two months of struggles at Old Trafford, Calciomercato journalist Daniel Longo has claimed.

The 23-year-old, who arrived for a fee of £36m in July, has struggled to find his shooting boots in Manchester so far, netting just one goal in his first 11 appearances under Erik ten Hag. Fresh reports have now linked him with a move back to Italy.

While Milan have no interest in bringing Zirkzee to the San Siro after their failed summer pursuit, according to Longo, the Dutchman could soon come back on the radar of his former Bologna boss, Thiago Motta, who is now in charge of Juventus.

The Old Lady are said to be looking for a striker with a similar profile to Zirkzee, who has plenty of Serie A pedigree and enjoyed an ‘incredible’ 2023/24 campaign, netting 11 goals and registering five assists in 34 appearances for Bologna.

However, it remains to be seen if Man United would be open to his loan departure in January, having tied down the 2001-born attacker to a long-term £105,000-per-week deal until June 2029.

Despite scoring in his first-ever Premier League appearance for the Red Devils back in September, Zirkzee has gone quiet in front of goal in recent weeks, amassing 360 minutes of action without a goal or assist under Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman’s recent form has also seen him lose his place in Ten Hag’s starting XI to Rasmus Hojlund, who netted the winning goal in United’s 2-1 comeback victory over Brentford this weekend.

That narrow win saw United return to winning ways in the Premier League after going goalless in their last three games before the October international break.

Ten Hag’s men will now face Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in a feisty Europa League encounter, where they will be looking to bounce back after two consecutive draws with Twente and Porto.

Statistics courtesy of Fbref and Transfermarkt. Correct as of 2 2 -10-24.