Man Utd player 'open to leaving' in January just six months after joining the club

A Manchester United player could be set to leave the club in January – and it may not be who’d expect.

United ended their five-match winless run with a 2-1 win against Brentford at Old Trafford on October 19.

The win saw them progress to 12^th in the Premier League table.

Rasmus Hojlund’s and Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half strikes spared Erik ten Hag’s blushes after the Bees took the lead in first-half stoppage time through Ethan Pinnock, to the dismay of Matthijs De Ligt - who was receiving treatment on the sidelines after sustaining a cut to his head and he may have been marking Pinnock had he have been on the pitch.

However, the player in question played just 16 minutes during the win and is seemingly already down the attacking pecking order at Old Trafford.

Joshua Zirkzee arrived at United in July 2024 for a fee of £36.5m on the back of an impressive season with Serie A side Bologna – his 11 league goals helped them secure Champions League qualification last term.

Although during his spells at Bayern Munich and Bologna, he never really showed that he was a prolific striker, United fans would have expected more than his one goal – against Fulham on his debut - in 11 appearances for the Red Devils.

According to reports from Calciomercato journalist Daniele Longo, the Dutchman could already be looking to move on from United, with the player ‘hoping’ to return to Serie A in the January transfer window if his fortunes do not improve at the Red Devils.

Despite his poor form, United boss Ten Hag put his faith in the striker when speaking in late September ahead of United’s 3-0 defeat to Spurs.

Joshua Zirkzee is in poor form (Credit:Getty)

When asked about the player’s form, he replied: “Yes, I do [think he can become a prolific goalscorer for United].

“Sure, he is young. We see his great abilities. He is a very good link-up player, as you say, he is creative.

“He is creating chances, but be fair, also he has his moments towards the goal from the opposition.

"I think it was a great action he had [against FC Twente] and a great finish he had, top save from the keeper but in that area, he can definitely improve.

“We know he has some very good attributes, and he has to improve, and he needs our support on how to improve.”

Juventus are reportedly interested in Zirkzee, according to Get Italian Football News, with a loan move more ‘likely’ than a permanent transfer at this stage. The player is thought to be 'open to leaving'.

If the move does materialise, it is difficult to imagine that the 23-year-old will start ahead of Juve's first-choice striker Dušan Vlahović.