Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee reportedly wants to stay at the club despite interest from Italian club AS Roma.
According to a report by Sky Sports, AS Roma have now been dealt a crushing blow in their pursuit of 24-year-old Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee. Despite struggling for regular opportunities, he is willing to continue at Old Trafford. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.
The Dutchman needs regular opportunities at this stage of his career, and sitting on the bench at Manchester United will not benefit him. It would have been ideal for him to seek a move away from the club in January and regain his form and confidence with regular opportunities. It will be interesting to see if he can get his career back on track at Manchester United now.
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo will be away on international duty during AFCON. It is fair to assume that the Dutch international could get more opportunities during that time. It remains to be seen whether he can produce impressive performances and convince the manager to give him more starts.
Can Zirkzee prove himself?
There is no doubt that Zirkzee is a quality player, and he has shown that in the past. He was a key player for Bologna before he moved to the Premier League. The 24-year-old has the physicality and technical attributes to compete at the highest level, but he has not had a sustained run in the team.
The Netherlands internatioanl might get that opportunity during AFCON, and it will be interesting to see if he can grab it with both hands. If he manages to perform at a high level, it could be a huge boost for Manchester United as well.
The Red Devils need someone who can share the goalscoring burden with Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian internatioanl joined Manchester United in the summer, but he is still adapting to Premier League football. He needs more support in the final third, and the Netherlands international could be ideal.
It will be interesting to see if AS Roma decide to move on to other options. The Serie A title hopefuls need more quality in attack, and they were banking on the Manchester United striker to lead their attacking unit during the second half of the season. Recent reports suggested they were ready to end Leon Bailey’s loan deal to make room for Zirkzee.
