Joshua Zirkzee FAT SHAMED by Erik ten Hag

Carlo Garganese

• 5 Nov 2024 01:42 CST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag did not want to sign Man Utd flop Joshua Zirkzee this summer and slammed the striker for being overweight.

That is according to The Sun, who report that Ten Hag never wanted to buy the Dutch striker, who has been a massive flop at Old Trafford.

Neil Custis reports that Ten Hag was forced into signing Zirkzee from Bologna by the INEOS recruitment team.

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When Zirkzee arrived, the now former Man Utd manager Ten Hag fumed at the attacker for being a stone too heavy and demanded he lose weight and get into shape.

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

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

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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 - 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.