I was carried away – Joshua Zirkzee told he should have joined Milan

 

I was carried away – Joshua Zirkzee told he should have joined Milan

Legendary Netherlands forward Ruud Gullit fears fellow Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee may have made an error in joining Manchester United over the summer.

 

 

Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford from Italian outfit Bologna in a £36.5million (€42.5m) deal this summer after being linked with a number of clubs following an impressive season in Serie A.

 

Despite popping up with the winner on his Premier League debut against Fulham, Zirkzee has struggled since and was dropped to the bench for Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa.

 

And with Erik ten Hag coming under increasing pressure at Old Trafford, Gullit thinks that United have become a club at which it is “hard to do well”, and that Zirkzee would have been wiser opting to join AC Milan instead.

 

 

“Zirkzee would have done better to say yes to Milan instead of moving to Manchester United in England,” Gullit told Gazzetta dello Sport.

 

“He knew Serie A and another couple of seasons in this league would have been very useful for his maturation but at a top club like Milan. Now instead he is at a club that has so many problems and that does not facilitate his growth.

 

“I hope he manages to reverse the trend after an inevitable period of acclimatisation.

 

“He’s good, no doubt about that, but at United, it’s hard to do well at such a moment in history.”

 

 

Ten Hag calls for Zirkzee patience

Speaking only last week, Ten Hag called for patience with Zirkzee, who has not scored since that Fulham clash.

 

“You have to assess the situation,” Ten Hag said.

 

“Still we are working and are in progress. We have made the choice to sign young players, like last year Hojlund, like this year Zirkzee, Yoro, players who we believe in at this moment and also for the future and we have to build them.”

 

Despite his struggles, Zirkzee was getting the nod in attack ahead of Hojlund on a regular basis before the game at Villa Park.

 

The 23-year-old was also a member of Ronald Koeman’s Dutch squad at Euro 2024, making his debut for the Netherlands in the quarter-final win over Turkey.

 

It’s also fair to point out that Zirkzee was largely signed for his potential after scoring 12 goals in 37 games for Bologna last season, hardly figures that would suggest he could be a prolific scorer in England.

 

Man Utd target Marmoush move as shock Alonso claims made

In other United news, Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush has reportedly been identified as a target by the Red Devils, but Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested in him.

 

The 25-year-old Egyptian international, who can play as a winger or a striker, has scored an impressive six goals in five Bundesliga appearances so far this season.

 

Marmoush tops the scoring charts ahead of Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane and is very keen to join a Premier League club in the January transfer window, hence United’s interest.

 

Meanwhile, a remarkable report has claimed Manchester United are willing to wait until next summer in order to lure Liverpool icon Xabi Alonso to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s replacement.

 

IN FOCUS – Zirkzee struggles after change of scenery

There’s a stark contrast between Zirkzee’s struggles for United and the one game he has played for the Netherlands in the Nations League this season, albeit in a small sample size.

 

Joshua Zirkzee Man Utd v Netherlands comparison

Joshua Zirkzee Man Utd v Netherlands comparison

Whether he has more freedom playing up front playing for his country or if the quality around him is just better, there is a big difference how he looked in his outing for the Netherlands last month compared to his performances for United so far.