Amorim, who is still acclimating to his squad, will face his third challenge as United’s manager when Everton visits Old Trafford on Sunday. ..Continue Reading
Reports from Italy suggest that Joshua Zirkzee has expressed his desire to leave Manchester United and reunite with his former coach Thiago Motta at Juventus.
Zirkzee, 23, joined United in the summer for a transfer fee of £36 million but has struggled to make a significant impact.
While he scored off the bench during his Premier League debut against Fulham, he has failed to add to that tally, raising concerns among fans about his overall performance.
The Dutch forward has not started in a Premier League match since being substituted at halftime during a 3-0 loss to Tottenham in September. Former United player Paul Scholes is among those questioning his role in the squad.
Zirkzee previously thrived at Bologna under Thiago Motta, helping the team secure their first-ever Champions League qualification.
Motta, now managing Juventus, is keen to bolster his squad in January and sees Zirkzee as a potential addition alongside Lewis Ferguson, another former Bologna player.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Zirkzee is eager to leave Manchester to reunite with Motta, who views him as a viable alternative to Dusan Vlahovic in Juventus’ attack.
Juventus is reportedly interested in signing Zirkzee on a loan deal, but it remains uncertain whether United would agree without securing a replacement, given their limited attacking options.
Zirkzee was a substitute in Amorim’s first match in charge, playing for 20 minutes against Ipswich Town. In a Europa League match against Bodo/Glimt, he remained on the bench as Rasmus Hojlund scored twice.
When brought on against Ipswich, Zirkzee was deployed as a No.10 behind Hojlund, but Amorim emphasized the need for him to improve his presence in the opposition box during attacking plays.
‘I think that [decision-making] is a concern, you don’t need to coach them at this level,’ Amorim told Sky Sports.
‘You have to keep the ball and know the momentum to put the ball in front. Sometimes you feel that you can’t keep the ball and you [have to] put the ball in front.
‘Then you have like we are in the end of the game, we were around the box with two strikers. Josh [Zirkzee] has to understand that he has to go to the box to have the crosses.
‘So we are doing some things that were not at the right moment, so that is something we have to address. Sometimes people talk about the 3-4-3, that is not the concern, the system is the system but the understanding of the game is what we have to improve a lot in this area.’
