One Manchester United star’s “verbal agreement” to leave the club has been cancelled, with Rúben Amorim wanting to “relaunch” him next season.
Manchester United’s summer transfer window plans are still being finalised as the club look to raise over £100 million in sales while signing fresh stars to improve Rúben Amorim’s current crop of players.
There are a number of high-profile players who are expected to leave the club in the next few months, with Jadon Sancho set to sign for Chelsea while Antony and Marcus Rashford will also look for new permanent clubs.
Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelöf, and Jonny Evans will all depart at the end of June upon the expiry of their contracts, while the futures of Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and André Onana remain in question.
United are looking to secure new attacking talent for Amorim, with a deal for Matheus Cunha thought to be close, while the club are also looking to bring in a new striker, midfielder, and defensive reinforcements.
Zirkzee’s verbal agreement has been cancelled
One man whose future was initially up in the air when Amorim arrived is Joshua Zirkzee, who was having a tough time at Old Trafford after signing for the club in 2024.
Zirkzee initially failed to adapt to life in England under Erik ten Hag and had a rough time during Amorim’s opening months.
However, following the turn of the year, he pivoted to become an essential player under the new head coach before being ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury.
According to the Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Zirkzee’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, had reached a “verbal agreement” with Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli to engineer a move for the Dutch striker to sign for Juventus on loan with an option to sign him in 2026.
But, following Zirkzee’s rise to prominence at Old Trafford before his injury, this agreement to structure a move away from United has been cancelled.
Amorim planning to use Zirkzee next season
Amid his newfound favorability at the club, Zirkzee is set to be used as an integral part of Amorim’s squad next season, with Calcio Mercato’s report stating that the head coach wants to “relaunch” the 23-year-old at Old Trafford.
This is a situation that may have been unfathomable a few months ago. In early December, United fell to a shocking 3-0 loss against Newcastle at Old Trafford, and within that tie, Zirkzee lasted just 33 minutes before being taken off in the first half.
Since then, he has turned his form around, with Amorim giving Zirkzee full credit for reinventing himself and becoming a fan favourite.
“he’s doing a great job. Also a very important thing was the way the fans react after that [Newcastle] incident,” Amorim said last month.
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“So if you see, every time, even if Josh is not playing, every time he gets on the pitch or just warming up, our fans sing the Josh song. So that is massive for the player, so it’s 50-50. Fifty per cent part of the fans and 50 per cent of Josh.”
Continuing, Amorim was asked what he had said to help Zirkzee through that tough period. “The same thing,” he replied. “I explained the situation because, as a former player, I wanted to hear some explanation sometimes from the coaches and I am really open that.
“I just want to help the team and then work with him. With all the work that all the staff is doing with him he’s improving, and then I put him to play. This is the only way to show confidence to the player.”
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