Man Utd flop says YES to January move as INEOS set price and Carrick pleads for massive signing of his own
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee is ready to call time on his Old Trafford struggles in January, with strong reports in Italy claiming the player has greenlit a move to Napoli and with two players convincing the player the move is right for his career.
Zirkzee was one of five signings that former sporting director Dan Ashworth made during an ill-fated and short-lived spell at the helm of Old Trafford.
While his exit was initially cited as a difference of opinion with other members of the board over choosing a successor to Erik Ten Hag – the Englishman was opposed to Ruben Amorim – his signings during his time with the club also left a lot to be desired. In this piece, all five of those additions have been ranked.
For Zirkzee, the £36.5m (€42.5m, $48m) move to United has proved a massive letdown. With just 13 G/A (nine scored, four assists) to his name from 79 appearances, United did their best to offload the player over the summer, only to find all avenues failing to land.
But with his situation under Michael Carrick showing no signs of improvement and with sources insisting the club remains determined to find a solution, reports in Italy now claim the 25-year-old Dutchman is close to accepting a move back to Italy with Napoli.
Per Area Napoli, Gli Azzurri’s sporting director Giovanni Manna has a ‘solid strategy in place’ to take Zirkzee away from United.
And with the player ready to accept the move, it’s claimed that ‘two unexpected allies’ in Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, the Naples club’s two former United stars, have convinced him over the merits of the move to the Diego Maradona Stadium.
The report goes on to add that Zirkzee has already said yes to a return to Serie A, with INEOS setting out an initial €30m (£25.5m, $34m) demand for his permanent sale.
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With Zirkzee understandably frustrated by his lack of minutes, a parting of ways seems the best course of action for all concerned and a January departure should free up some funds for United to make additions of their own.
And while the January window is often a quiet and difficult market to utilise – and with top clubs often preferring to keep their power dry until the summer months – The Sun now reports that Carrick is making a big plea to the club’s board to bring in at least one new player, and potentially two, in the winter window.
Indeed, with Benjamin Sesko’s recurring shin injuries denying him a full pre-season and leaving Carrick without a fit and firing striker, the Red Devils have looked more than a little light in attack so far this season.
Given the club are competing across three fronts – and hope to go deep in the Champions League – it’s reported that Carrick has pleaded with the board to bring in another striker option during the January window.
Those chances will be enhanced if the Red Devils can offload Zirkzee, freeing up both funds and space in the squad.
TEAMtalk has already exclusively revealed that director of football Jason Wilcox is back on the trail of Jean-Philippe Mateta, and the Red Devils will likely make a firm move for the Crystal Palace striker in the January window.
The Frenchman’s deal at Selhurst Park is due to expire next summer, giving Wilcox hope that a deal is there to be done.
In an ideal world, Carrick would also like a new left-back to compete with Luke Shaw, and while that may wait until the summer, the club has drawn up a list of four options to fill that void, with a £35m-rated Belgian emerging as a top target.
