Ruben Amorim looks on during Manchester United's victory over Sunderland in the Premier League.placeholder image
Ruben Amorim looks on during Manchester United's victory over Sunderland in the Premier League. | Getty Images
Man United continue to clear the decks and another misfiring forward could be next to leave Old Trafford/
Manchester United had a busy summer with most of the transfer work seeing Ruben Amorim get a squad that is willing to pull in the same direction.
The 2-1 win over Liverpool is a suggestion of what United are capable of but there is still some way to go before the Red Devils boss has the sort of team that is capable of challenging for the Premier League title. Amorim has been linked with Morten Hjulmand already and is fully aware of his talents having worked with the midfielder at Sporting Lisbon.
Joshua Zirkee eyed for January Man Utd exit
What Amorim also needs is for him and the recruitment team to get more signings right than they get wrong with such a small margin for error. One player who hasn’t made the impact that had been hoped for is Joshua Zirkee who is being eyed for the sort of move that could see him get his career back on track.
According to Alex Crook at Talksport, the 24-year old is looking for a new club and he already has a couple of possibilities: “One potential option is Manchester United outcast Joshua Zirkzee, who is desperate to leave Old Trafford. West Ham would face competition for Zirkzee from clubs in Italy, including Roma, who would consider terminating misfiring Evan Ferguson’s loan from Brighton to bring in a replacement.”
Zirkee is a good player, he just isn’t at the level needed for United to move forward. This doesn’t make him untalented or unable to make a difference for someone else, but the system that Amorim plays doesn’t fit. The proverbial square peg in a round hole either as a no.10 or as the central striker.
The Netherlands international isn’t creative enough in possession or an incisive ball carrier, not is he a natural goalscorer. In a system where he is partnered with someone who can feed off him or with two wide forwards, Zirkee would look much more comfortable.
Has Zirkee met Amorim demands?
Speaking earlier this year, Amorim described Zirkee perfectly, via United’s official website, but it doesn’t look like the improvements that were needed have been made.
“I think he's improving in a lot of aspects,” explained the boss, during his press conference. “I think he needs to be more selfish, and that is a thing when you play as a striker. He's not a typical striker, but he has to be more selfish. He's more aggressive now, he works better now, he's defending better now, he's connecting quite well.
“He played as a striker in some games, especially against Arsenal he did really, really well. Then in some games, against [Real] Sociedad, he played as a 10, so he can adapt to different situations.
“So, I see that Josh is improving and showing good things.”
As with the summer, moving players on who don’t fit instead of persevering should be a priority if results like the one over Liverpool are to be a more regular occurrence.
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