Ruben Amorim can no longer defend his stance over blocking Joshua Zirkzee from departing Manchester United after snubbing the Dutch attacker once again in his side’s 2-2 draw away at Nottingham Forest.
Zirkzee has grown frustrated with his game time this season, with just 90 minutes under his belt and all of them cameo appearances off the bench. He will have been expecting more opportunities after the Red Devils decided to offload Rasmus Hojlund in the summer, but he isn’t even playing second fiddle to Benjamin Sesko.
Nott Forest 2-2 Man Utd – Amorim’s Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Zirkzee remained on the bench for the entirety of the draw at the City Ground despite the visitors chasing a winner with nine minutes left on the clock. Amorim didn’t even turn to any attacking introductions during this period and instead opted to keep faith in Sesko up top.
Sesko endured a dissapointing afternoon and nothing seemed to come off for the Slovakian striker who had shown glimpses of promise at the start of his United career. He was more effective defending set-pieces, which may well have been his manager’s thinking with regard to keeping him on.
Matheus Cunha was unable to build on his excellent display against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend when he bagged his first goal for the club. But the Brazil international stayed on as the Red Devils pushed for a third.
Zirkzee will understandably be wondering whether he has a future at Old Trafford and will want to ensure he gets consistent game time with a FIFA World Cup next year. He showed versatility last season, although there was much to admire on the goalscoring front.
Amorim challenged the 24-year-old to further improve when he started proving critics wrong after a nightmare first half of the campaign. But his reduced appearances suggest he hasn’t met the Portuguese tactician’s demands.
“There’s a World Cup. There are agents that listen to the players talking all the time. So, I understand that but they are our players, and we need everyone to have a good season” – Amorim on Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo loan request rumors (via Tribuna).
Zirkzee, dubbed “elite”, is believed to be agitating for a January loan move but the club are “threatening to block” his attempts to depart, per GIVEMESPORT columnist Steve Bates. He arrived from Bologna in the summer of 2024 in a £36.5m deal after a superb spell in Italy.
Staying in England could be an option for Zirkzee as Fabrizio Romano revealed that West Ham United have made an approach for the Dutchman. He has just under four years on his contract.
“Josh [Zirkzee] is a bit like Cunha in playing between the lines. If you look at the game, we needed a guy in the box and Ben [Sesko] is the best for that. Sometimes it’s a question of characteristics and the players know that” – Amorim after Forest draw (via UtdReport).
The Netherlands international isn’t even serving as backup to Sesko as Amorim has rotated the Slovakian with Mason Mount depending on the oppositon. He may well have prioritised the Mount if he were to have introduced an attacker against Sean Dyche’s Tricky Trees.
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