Like a Netflix trailer, Joshua Zirkzee came to Old Trafford full of promise, slow motion, and dramatic music. However, somewhere between hype and the half time whistle the story stalled. It is reported that Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has accepted to allow the Dutch forward to move in January. For Zirkzee, that’s not heartbreak—it’s freedom from football’s most uncomfortable chair: the substitutes’ bench.
For a player once billed as the next big thing, his United chapter has been shorter than a TikTok reel.Four appearances, no goals and more time tying shoelaces than goals. West Ham and Everton, who now see an opening (or a disaster), are flying round like pigeons to a dropped sandwich.
Joshua Zirkzee: The Man Who Missed the Bus (and Starting XI).
United’s front line last season looked like a jigsaw missing too many pieces, and Zirkzee never found where he fit. Amorim, meanwhile, is assembling a team that looks more “project” than “powerhouse.” With Højlund shipped to Napoli and new arrivals like Cunha and Sesko taking the spotlight, Zirkzee’s role became the football equivalent of a background extra in his own movie.
According to sources, the forward knows his World Cup dream is slipping away. No minutes, no goals, no plane ticket. Sometimes football is cruel—but this is bordering on slapstick.
Author’s Take: The Zirkzee Paradox
To tell the truth, Joshua Zirkzee is not a bad guy, it is just that he was cast against type. He is a jazz musician in a rock band but in a fashionable but untimely style. Maybe West Ham or Everton will let him riff again, rediscover that flair buried under layers of tactical caution.
Football careers often hinge on timing—and Zirkzee’s United clock ran out before it even started ticking. But hey, if redemption arcs were easy, Hollywood would’ve gone broke decades ago.Maybe this January move will be his long-overdue encore—the moment Joshua Zirkzee finally trades silence for spotlight, rediscovering rhythm, relevance, and redemption at last.
As featured on ManUNews.com
