“Great difficulty…” Ex-England boss believes Manchester United should have signed Liverpool star

Former England manager Fabio Capello believes Manchester United should have signed a Liverpool star over Joshua Zirkzee this summer.

Manchester United‘s 2024 transfer window was notably active, leading to significant transformations within the Old Trafford squad.

Under Erik ten Hag‘s management, the club bolstered their team by signing five first-team players: Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte—all acquired during the summer.

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Simultaneously, the squad saw substantial departures, including Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jadon Sancho, and Mason Greenwood. These exits helped the club raise over £120 million in transfer fees throughout the summer.

However, the club has failed to live up to expectations so far this season. They lost two of their opening three games in the Premier League and are sitting 14th in the table.

They have scored two goals so far, one coming from 23-year-old Zirkzee. HOwever, the Dutch striker failed to convert multiple chances during a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool, leading to criticism.

Former England boss Fabio Capello, who is familiar with Italian and English football, has instead cited new Liverpool signing Federico Chiesa as someone more adept at playing Premier League football than Zirkzee.

Speaking with Corriere della Serra (via The Mirror), Capello assessed that Chiesa has the attributes to play in the Premier League while Zirkzee does not, hinting that United should have opted for the 26-year-old winger.

“I think he [Chiesa] has the right speed to play in the Premier League,” Capello explained.

“Elsewhere, I saw Zirkzee, who is having great difficulty because he thinks he can still play at the Italian pace.”

Zirkzee will have the chance to make up for the errors as the club plays Southampton. With Rasmus Højlund still unavailable, the club’s new No. 11 will start as the striker.

He scored for the Netherlands during his maiden start for his country, earning praise for his performances across the international break.

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