Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen
Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen
Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli has played down interest in Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee.
The 23-year-old Dutch international signed for the Red Devils from Bologna in the summer, but he has scored just three goals in his 22 appearances across all competitions so far this season. He is some way off matching his 11 goals and five assists in Serie A last term, and his struggles at Old Trafford have prompted rumours of a potential exit just six months after his arrival.
A report from Calciomercato earlier this month indicated that Juventus had expressed an interest in Zirkzee ahead of the January transfer window. Links were only strengthened by the fact the United striker thrived under current Juventus boss, Thiago Motta, at Bologna last season.
READ MORE: Manchester United have a new candidate to be next academy debutant after Ruben Amorim decision
READ MORE: 'Did a good job' - Ruben Amorim hints at Manchester United template for Man City clash
However, speaking to Sky in Italy (as quoted by Football Italia), Giuntoli has distanced Juventus from the United man. "We are waiting for Arek Milik," insisted the Italian club's director.
"Zirkzee is very talented, but he is part of another team and I cannot say more than that. We are thinking of something very different.
"Milik is having his recovery process after surgery, we are happy and think he could be back within 15-20 days."
Arkadiusz Milik, 30, joined Juventus from Marseille in 2022 and the Poland international has now scored 17 goals in 75 appearances across all competitions. However, the striker is yet to feature this term as he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of Euro 2024, while Dusan Vlahovic has also had injury concerns of his own this season.
However, it appears a move for Zirkzee is not on the cards for Juventus. It's worth noting a move for the striker could also be extremely costly given he signed a long-term deal upon his arrival at United, keeping him at the club until at least the summer of 2029, with the option of a further year.
Sign up to get even more from our Man United coverage
We want your views, Reds. You can become even more involved with our Man United coverage by signing up. This will unlock a whole host of things - including joining the comments and taking part in our special Q&As, where you can speak directly to our reporters about what’s happening at Old Trafford this week and beyond.
Click here to get started.