The sacking of Ruben Amorim has thrown a spanner in the works for the reported exit of Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United.
As the dust begins to settle following the bombshell sacking of Ruben Amorim following his comments before and after the 1-1 draw with Leeds United, Manchester United begin to look ahead to the future.
Darren Fletcher will be overseeing the interim management duties for at least the Premier League game against Burnley and possibly the FA Cup tie against Brighton.
However, away from the field, the sacking of Amorim has potentially changed the fates of different players who were seemingly out of the door this window.
Joshua Zirkzee is one such player with his future now more up in the air than ever.
Roma chief admits a deal for Zirkzee is now ‘different’
Rumblings of a move for Zirkzee to head to the Italian capital on loan have only got louder as the season continued. After a disappointing display against 20th-place Wolverhampton Wanderers, the writing seemed to be on the wall for an exit.
A loan with the obligation to buy for a reported £30 million seemed to be the way things were heading, with the player himself open to the move.
However, the sacking of Amorim has potentially scuppered plans for a move at this moment in time.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, Roma’s sporting director, Ricky Massara, has openly admitted that the possibility of a deal has changed as of now due to the change in United management.
“He is a Manchester United centre-forward liked by many clubs, not just us,” Massara said. “Naturally, the situation is different after this change of management; there are no contacts in progress, but I wouldn’t focus on individual names.”
However, it has been reported elsewhere that the Dutchman has sent a message to Roma indicating that he remains keen on a move to Italy this month despite Amorim’s departure.
Lifelines for Zirkzee and Mainoo
Not only was the Dutch striker seemingly headed for an exit, but Kobbie Mainoo was also potentially on the way out, with the situation becoming increasingly untenable with Amorim.
However, just like Zirkzee, a move away for the English midfielder has seemingly cooled off. This now gives both a clean slate under Fletcher’s short tenure to regain their spots in the first team in their favoured positions and stay.
Then, should an interim manager come in, they have the chance yet again to impress and continue at Manchester United.
While the situation has been far from ideal for both this season, both have shown flashes of their brilliance in moments that, in the right system, could give them the lifeline that they needed to continue on at Manchester United.
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