Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee set to depart in January: report

The Dutchman Zirkzee made a sensational arrival this summer, receiving a hero's welcome after his pivotal role in Bologna's historic season in Serie A. Managed by Thiago Motta, the club secured their first-ever qualification for the Champions League, with Zirkzee emerging as a standout performer during the memorable campaign.

But since moving to the Premier League, the forward has struggled – culminating in an embarrassing cameo against Newcastle United recently in which he was substituted after half an hour.

Manchester United to negotiate move that sees Joshua Zirkzee leave

Zirkzee hit the ground running at Manchester United, scoring on opening night of the Premier League under former manager Erik ten Hag.

Consistency has been hard to come by all term, however, with the 23-year-old looking a shadow of himself this season. Now, a report from Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy says that he has agreed a loan move to Juventus.

Amorim, ranked at no.11 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, has publicly backed his forward but admitted that he's unsure whether he will remain a United player this month.

“I want to keep Josh because he gives everything and he’s trying in training but we don’t know,” he said. “The window is open and we will see what happens.

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“We just need to focus on training and to take this for the other games. It’s just one point so let’s focus on the performance for the next games."

In FourFourTwo's opinion, a loan would do Zirkzee the world of good in helping him rediscover his confidence with former manager, Motta.

INEOS have a history at Nice of cutting their losses on signings that haven't worked out rather than persisting with them – so it wouldn't be out of character for them to ditch Zirkzee after mere months.

Zirkzee is worth €42 million, according to Transfermarkt. United take on Arsenal this weekend in FA Cup action, as the Third Round begins.