Ruben Amorim plans to sell summer flop to sign Viktor Gyokeres

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 12 Nov 2024 06:53 GMT
• 3 min read

The arrival of Ruben Amorim as Man Utd manager is unlikely to save Joshua Zirkzee’s Old Trafford career as the Portuguese coach plans to sell the striker and replace him with Viktor Gyokeres.

That is according to Calciomercato, who report that Amorim intends to sign Gyokeres at the end of the season from his now-former club Sporting Lisbon.

Gyokeres has exploded into arguably the most-wanted number nine in Europe having plundered an incredible 66 goals for Sporting since the start of last season.

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Gyokeres’ arrival would certainly spell the end of Zirkzee’s short time at United, with Rasmus Hojlund kept on to provide competition for the Swede.

Zirkzee joined the Red Devils this past summer in a €42.5 million move from Bologna.

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The striker scored on his Premier League debut against Fulham but he has struggled badly since then and failed to score another goal.

Having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and with the club’s fans already seemingly giving up on him, it has been widely reported that Zirkzee will already leave the club in January.

An outright sale is deemed unlikely, but many experts expect him to be loaned out until the end of the season.

Juventus - coached by Zirkzee’s Bologna coach of last season, Thiago Motta - have been heavily linked with making a move on loan.

The 23-year-old Zirkzee was one of the standout players in Serie A last season, and he was often compared to former Milan and Barcelona star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But he is yet to show that form at Old Trafford.

Zirkzee at Bologna

Zirkzee led Bologna to a shock qualification into this season’s Champions League under manager Thiago Motta.

Zirkzee delivered 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions as Bologna finished fifth in Serie A.

He was the key man for a Bologna team who performed well above their weight under Motta to qualify for the Champions League.

Standing at 6ft 4in, Zirkzee is a giant of a striker who at Bologna was expert at holding up the ball and bringing others into play.

Zirkzee went to Euro 2024 with Netherlands but barely featured under Ronald Koeman.