Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is gearing up for a huge Europa League quarter-final meeting with Lyon on Thursday.
A place in the semi-finals is up for grabs as Manchester United travel to France for the first leg of the quarter-finals against Lyon.
United beat Real Sociedad in the last round, bolstering Ruben Amorim’s chances of a run to the final.
Winning the Europa League would send United into the Champions League next season, so this is a huge opportunity for Amorim.
The United boss will be weighing up his starting XI for the trip to France, with Joshua Zirkzee potentially hoping for a return to the starting XI.
Zirkzee came off the bench against Manchester City on Sunday and will hope for a chance against Lyon.
Ruben Amorim comments on Joshua Zirkzee
United signed Zirkzee from Bologna last summer, paying around £36million to sign the forward.
Zirkzee hadn’t proven himself to be particularly prolific in Italy, and that has carried over to United.
The 23-year-old has only scored three times in 31 Premier League games this season, though he has often played as a number 10 under Amorim.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Manchester United’s official YouTube channel, Amorim has now praised Zirkzee’s progress.
Amorim believes that Zirkzee is improving in a number of areas and is now ‘more aggressive’ and offering more both in and out of possession.
Zirkzee must still be ‘more selfish’ in Amorim’s eyes but is ultimately improving and ‘showing good things’ in a United shirt.
“I think he is improving in all aspects,” he said.
“I think he needs to be more selfish. He is not a typical striker, but he has to be more selfish.
“He is more aggressive now, he works better now, he is defending better now, he is connecting quite well and he played as a striker in some games, especially against Arsenal, and did really, really well and then in some games – against Sociedad – he played more as a 10, so he can adapt to in different situations. Josh is improving and showing good things,” he added.
Joshua Zirkzee under pressure ahead of summer transfer window
ZIrkzee has come up with some decent performances of late, but there are still some question marks.
Not quite quick enough to play up front, Zirkzee has played as a number 10 but hasn’t been particularly creative.
Zirkzee’s control and technique aren’t really in question, but his lack of dynamic athleticism may limit his impact moving forward.
United are eyeing signings both up front and in the number 10 roles, too, meaning Zirkzee is under pressure to perform and prove that he has a long-term future under Amorim.
After all, Amorim inherited Zirkzee from the Erik ten Hag era and did not sign him himself.
United are eyeing Matheus Cunha as a potential number 10, whilst Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is on the Old Trafford radar.
Both players are more dynamic than Zirkzee athletically and may give Amorim’s attack an edge that Zirkzee can’t quite provide.
The improvement is clear, but more will be needed from Zirkzee with his end product in the final third in order to really kick on and become a United star
The talent is there – we just need to see it flourish in the right role moving forward.
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