Man Utd Left Scrambling As Forward ‘Rejects’ Much-Needed Exit

Manchester United’s hopes of selling striker Joshua Zirkzee appear set to roll over into Deadline Day as reports have revealed the Dutchman’s decision to snub an approach from Fiorentina.

According to Fabrizio Romano, despite the Serie A side’s willingness to meet United’s asking price, Zirkzee has personally turned down the chance to join Fiorentina before the summer transfer window closes.

Zirkzee is right at the top of the list of players United want to sell, having played just 127 minutes since Michael Carrick’s arrival earlier this year. He has been an unused substitute in each of the team’s first two Premier League games this season, stuck behind Matheus Cunha, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Šeško and Bryan Mbeumo in the pecking order.

Interest remains in the 25-year-old—Gianluca Di Marzio claims talks with Juventus are ongoing—but with such little time remaining in the transfer window, an exit for Zirkzee remains far from guaranteed.

Why Man Utd Need to Offload Zirkzee

Joshua Zirkzee — Zirkzee is stuck on the fringes. | Ben McShane/Sportsfile/Getty Images

It has been no secret that Zirkzee’s time at United is coming to an end. While he has been pushed closer to the exit door during Carrick’s tenure, he was hardly a regular under former boss Ruben Amorim and a departure last summer even seemed like a possibility.

United can ill-afford to keep fringe players like Zirkzee on the books—particularly when funds need to be raised to finance new signings.

Having spent so much money rebuilding in midfield, United’s new priority is believed to sit at left back, where Luke Shaw is the only natural option in the squad. However, that expensive shopping spree means there is not much money left over for more incomings.

Lewis Hall of Newcastle United is thought to be the dream target, but the funds required to get such a deal over the line are well out of the Red Devils’ current reach. Similarly, Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde is also reported to be too expensive.

Cashing in on Zirkzee is one of very few obvious avenues for United to raise the required funds, but things are clearly not going according to plan.

Why Have Man Utd Not Sold Any Senior Players This Summer?

Plans to sell Marcus Rashford fell through. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

For all the money spent on new signings this summer, United are yet to raise any funds through the sale of senior players. Rasmus Højlund’s preagreed exit to Napoli went through in July, but reserve goalkeeper Radek Vítek’s sale to Middlesbrough and young midfielder Toby Collyer’s move to West Bromwich Albion are the only other permanent departures from Old Trafford as it stands.

United saw Casemiro, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho all leave on free transfers, while goalkeepers André Onana and Altay Bayındır have both departed on loan.

Club officials did plan to make more sales this summer. Zirkzee’s exit was expected to be simpler, Manuel Ugarte was available before his nasty knee injury and few expected Marcus Rashford to still be at Old Trafford following the conclusion of his loan with Barcelona.

Barring any unforeseen surprises, no other players will leave United before Tuesday’s deadline, putting the pressure on Zirkzee to complete an exit that, at this stage, still seems more likely to be a loan than a permanent move.

United’s struggles when it comes to selling can be put down to two factors. Firstly, a lack of European action last season necessitated a smaller squad which is no longer sufficient following the return to the Champions League. Fringe players are few and far between and United were always likely to be spending more than they earned this summer in a bid to expand their squad.

However, the failures to sell a number of the players that departed on loans or free transfers stems from United’s previous mistakes in the window and the inability to offer a platform to those players.

Sancho, for example, was on mammoth wages which meant a buyer was never going to be found. That same issue has impacted Rashford’s future despite his impressive on-field form. Onana and Bayındır are both battling all-time-low reputations after a series of miserable seasons which left the finances of a permanent sale beyond the reach of any clubs prepared to take a risk on either goalkeeper.

Zirkzee’s stock appears slightly higher as a 25-year-old who is just two years out from an impressive stint in Serie A with Bologna. An exit should still be found before Tuesday’s deadline, although it is unlikely to meet the valuation with which United entered the transfer window.

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