Ruben Amorim’s first Premier League outing at Old Trafford couldn’t have gone smoother than he’d hoped heading into the clash.
Manchester United cruised their way to a 4-0 victory on home turf against Everton thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, with both in vital need of confidence boosts after turbulent starts to the campaign.
The two goalscorers have deservedly earned praise for their finishing, but it’s Amad Diallo’s stellar showing that had fans in awe by the full-time whistle. He assisted Rashford’s second and Zirkzee’s second while running the Toffees’ backline absolutely ragged throughout the affair.
Zirkzee’s uncertain United future made clearer after five-star display vs Toffees
Joshua Zirkzee scored his second and third goals of the season vs Everton.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
In regards to Zirkzee, supporters were somewhat surprised to see him make the starting XI following a lacklustre run of form, which had seen him fail to score in his 11 Premier League appearances since the opening day.
It was, however, refreshing to see Amorim not only prove that you can rotate your team and still be successful (something Erik ten Hag never quite grasped) but that he’s not afraid his faith in an underperforming player and be there to reap the benefits.
The Dutchman’s concerning start to life at United had prompted widespread speculation that he could be offloaded as early as the winter – with Juventus said to be mulling over a move to bring him back to Italy. Laurie Whitwell revealed last Friday that club chiefs had privately conceded Zirkzee’s tenure hadn’t begun how they’d hoped and that they hadn’t ruled out the prospect of selling him at the end of the season in an attempt to recuperate the fee they paid for him.
Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg has dismissed such a sentiment, though. He took to X/Twitter post-match to confirm that the 23-year-old won’t be going anywhere mid-season, writing: “As previously reported and as I’ve been told again: Manchester United have no interest in loaning out or selling Joshua Zirkzee in the winter despite other reports.
“He is expected to stay, as the club believe in his potential and see him as a very good transfer. Zirkzee himself has no interest in leaving the club either. Today, he scored two crucial goals against Everton.”
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Ruben Amorim oversaw his first win as Manchester United head coach last night.