One Manchester United star has been vindicated after his transfer decision in January helped him avoid making a huge mistake earlier this year.
Manchester United’s January transfer window saw the club offload a number of high-profile players while signing two new names for Rúben Amorim.
Antony left on loan to Real Betis, while Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa and Tyrell Malacia departed for PSV Eindhoven, both on temporary deals.
United then brought in centre-back Ayden Heaven from Arsenal and left wing-back Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, with many fans criticising the club for not bringing in any attacking reinforcements.
United also shipped out multiple Academy players in order for the youngsters to gain vital first-team experience elsewhere.
Zirkzee’s January transfer decision
Another player who was on the verge of leaving Old Trafford in January was Joshua Zirkzee, who had signed from Bologna for a £36 million fee just a few months prior.
After he failed to settle as a striker under Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman was subject to widely reported intense interest from Serie A side Juventus, and some felt the player was best of returning to the Serie A.
A significant driving factor behind Juventus’ reported interest was that the head coach, Thiago Motta, was the same manager who allowed Zirkzee to thrive at Bologna, with the player seeing the Italian manager as a pivotal figure in his development.
However, as the window dragged on, Juventus and United failed to land on any form of agreement, and Zirkzee made the decision that he would stay and fight for his place with Amorim now at the helm.
Zirkzee avoided a huge mistake
Just a few months on from the transfer ordeal, Zirkzee has been utterly vindicated regarding his decision to stay at United, with Juventus now sitting in turmoil.
According to various outlets, the Serie A giants are now looking to sack Motta from his position as manager, with the club sitting 5th in the league table, one point behind BOlogna in fourth and 12 behind Inter Milan at the top.
The relationship between Motta and Juventus’ board is said to be completely fractured, with La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that during a heated meeting between Motta and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, Giuntoli told Motta that he was “ashamed of having chosen” the 42-year-old to lead the team.
As well as his performances having kicked into gear of late, the current turmoil at Juventus has vindicated Zirkzee’s decision to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.
Zirkzee has become an integral part of Amorim’s current team as an attacking midfielder, with the player’s full plethora of skills starting to shine through in Red.
Had the 23-year-old left United for Juventus specifically to play under Motta, he would have been left stranded in Turin with his mentor out of a job and potentially found himself in a much more volatile situation than the security he has under Amorim at United, which would have been a huge mistake.
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