Manchester United’s season has taken off in the last three games, but the same can’t be said for Joshua Zirkzee, and his season might be about to crash at Old Trafford due to a game he played no part in.
The fall in relevance for Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United has been swift and unexpected.
This is a player who was talked about as a natural complement to goalscoring attacking midfielders in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Ruben Amorim had ‘big plans’ for Zirkzee before the season, but a pre-season injury set him back, minutes dwindled, and now the final blow to his career might have landed.
Joshua Zirkzee’s Man Utd career blow after Chido Obi heroics
When Benjamin Sesko arrived, it was clear that Zirkzee was relegated to being the backup again.
However, what nobody expected was that United would be eliminated in the second round of the Carabao Cup, reducing their games even more.
Zirkzee’s pre-season injury, combined with fewer games, has left him as a spectator, and Amorim’s starting Cunha in Sesko’s place at Anfield was another blow to his prospects.
If he thought he had become third-choice, then it’s fair to say the fatal blow to his prospects has just been delivered by Chido Obi.
Obi is resetting at United this season by going back to the drawing board for the U21s, earning his coaches’ praise for his application and professionalism.
However, three months into the season, he is scoring for fun, against senior sides no less, with his latest goal coming in Man Utd U21s’ 2-0 win against Rochdale.
Obi is clearly banging on the first-team door again and merits a chance soon. He is stylistically more similar to Sesko than he is to Zirkzee, who is not a style of forward that Amorim likes.
The Rochdale game and Obi scoring again could be the fatal blow to Zirkzee’s career prospects, because Amorim might fancy keeping Obi at Old Trafford as a striking option who plays for the U21s instead of Zirkzee.
United shouldn’t give up on Zirkzee completely
If Obi leapfrogs him in the pecking order, chances are that Zirkzee’s future at United will be done for.
However, the club needs to think more long-term as well, and refuse to give up on the Dutchman completely.
In an ideal world, European football will be back at Old Trafford next season, which means more minutes to be distributed among the squad.
The likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Zirkzee could easily play 25-30 games across all competitions next season, instead of forcing United to spend pointless money on depth options next summer.
A six-month loan in January will be best for Zirkzee if he agrees and sees his future at United. Otherwise, Obi’s heroics might leave him with no choice but to force a permanent move.
He won’t be short of suitors, especially in Italy now that Rasmus Hojlund has proven himself there.
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