Man Utd flop faces humiliation as Ruben Amorim 'plans sale' after now-awkward comments

Joshua Zirkzee's initial zeal about joining Manchester United could come to haunt him if the forecasts of football legend Ian Wright - and reports in Italy - materialise. The Dutch forward left Bologna for a hefty £36.5million, becoming the first recruit of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS era in the summer, but he has since found life at United challenging.

Under the recently ousted Erik ten Hag, he's netted just once in 16 appearances, contributing to an inconsistent offence that contributed to Ten Hag's departure.

There were whispers suggesting Ten Hag hadn't been keen on signing Zirkzee, with the hierarchy at Old Trafford pushing the deal through.

Despite the high hopes at his arrival, Zirkzee now faces the task of impressing new boss Ruben Amorim after Ten Hag's exit.

However, Calciomercato that Amorim isn't convinced by the 23-year-old striker and is ready to sanction a transfer in January.

Upon signing his United contract until 2029, Zirkzee expressed his enthusiasm: "I have a lot of trust and a good feeling about this step. It wasn't a difficult decision [to move to Man Utd].

"I mean, I love Bologna a lot, but, yeah, Manchester United just gave me a very, very good feeling and [I am] very confident what's planned will also happen."

But Arsenal icon Wright suspects Zirkzee will find it tough going no matter who is at the helm, potentially rendering his early remarks upon signing a tad embarrassing.

Wright believes the hype about Zirkzee's potential move to Manchester has diminished.

"I can't see in any formation Zirkzee making it from what I've seen so far," he explained on Wrighty's House.

"I can see it with Hojlund. He looks like a future player with better players around him. He gives me the impression that if he gets in and around the box and he gets chances, he can go hot."

The Gunners legend continued: "I don't see the same with Zirkzee. I look at him and his movement, I don't see anything in his game that makes me think, 'Okay, there he is, I see what he can do'.

"I see that in Hojlund and some of the others. I can see them easily levelling up but I feel for Zirkzee."

If Wright's assessment proves accurate and Zirkzee continues to lose ground at Old Trafford, he could quickly regret his decision to leave a starting position at Champions League club Bologna.

United have consistently insisted that the Dutchman was always going to need to time adapt to English football - significantly faster-paced than in the Serie A.

But Ten Hag deemed him to have suited his vision, the same may not apply under Amorim, whose team attacks with explosive pace across the front line.