Joshua Zirkzee is certainly not the main architect of the negative moment that Manchester United are going through , but the former Bologna striker has been sucked into the spiral of negativity that is engulfing the Red Devils , which has consequently affected his performances and efficiency on the pitch.
The Dutchman, now in his third season with United, is going through a less than happy period. In the summer of 2025, the 2001-born player seemed truly on the verge of joining Roma. After two seasons in the Premier League and just five league goals in two years, the time to pack his bags finally seemed to have arrived, and Gian Piero Gasperini and then-sporting director Frederic Massara would have welcomed him with open arms. In place of Zirkzee, Ferguson arrived at Trigoria , whose experience in the capital was anything but memorable.
Zirkzee, no regrets: Gasperini pampers Malen
The former Giallorossi sporting director himself, in fact, tried to bring him to Juventus last summer, only to then forcefully opt for Kolo Muani . And judging by the French striker's performance, there are certainly more regrets in Turin than in Rome, where Gasp is pampering his goal-scoring machine, Donyell Malen: Zirkzee's compatriot scored his 11th goal of the season with his goal in Udine.
In tomorrow's clash between Manchester United and Roma at Old Trafford, we're unlikely to see a "derby" between the two Dutch strikers, at least not from the starting lineup. While Malen is a key player in Gasperini's side, Zirkzee has only played a handful of minutes so far this season. In recent outings, the former Bayern Munich player has played just 23 minutes in Como (also finding the net in stoppage time), 18 minutes against Bournemouth , and finally, 13 minutes in the recent 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
