Joshua Zirkzee was one of the most promising forwards in European football before he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2024 from Bologna.
Softfootball can confidently report that these days he hardly gets a look in for the Red Devils and was conspicuously missing when Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday. Currently, he is rated behind striker Benjamin Sesko under manager Rebun Amorim despite the departure of Ramus Hojlund to Serie A champions, Napoli.
The Dutch striker can seem to get a game since he returned from his latest injury that made him miss the US tour by Manchester United. And it is obvious that he won’t be getting more games under the current setup at the club.
Here is a goal by Joshua Zirkzee from last season’s UEFA Europa League. It was posted by the official X handle of Europa League.
Zirkzee from the edge of the box ⚽️@ManUtd | #UEL pic.twitter.com/Mdz1uCu4lS
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 8, 2025Amorim stubbornly plays a 3-4-3 formation that allows for only one striker to be played at a time and the first choice as show in recent games is Sesko. The Slovenia joined the Red Devils this summer for a huge fee from RB Leizig and since his return to fitness, he has been regularly picked as the target man.
So far, Sesko has been delivering for Manchester United, scoring in back-to-back Premier League games and seems to be loved by the Old Trafford crowd. And that is a problem for Zirkzee because it means he would be out of the team more regularly than before.
Interestingly, at national team level, Dutch manager Ronald Koeman feels Joshua Zirkzee is currently not good enough to be part of the Dutch national team. The Manchester United talent last attended a major tournament as a late addition to the Euro 2024 squad after replacing Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners due to injury.
What should Zirkzee do?
Zirkzee is not a bad footballer but he strives in systems created for him. Like when he was at Bologna he was the focal point for the team as everything went through him. He scored 11 goals in the final season with the Serie A side before making the move to Manchester United.
Last summer, Juventus wanted him but Amorim blocked the move because he wants him as backup to Sesko this season. Now, he needs to think of what is best for him and follow the examples of players like Marcus Rashford and Ramus Hojlund that have done well away from Manchester United since leaving the club.
Maybe leaving United in January will be the perfect opportunity for Zirkzee to prove to the Dutch manager that he is good enough for the national team and fight for a spot in the World Cup squad. Zirkzee has conquered the Serie A before and can do it again with the right team.
