Zirkzee not called up by United for the Manchester derby: assist for Roma?

Joshua Zirkzee is not among the 20 players who will be on the pitch or on the bench for Manchester United in the derby with City at Old Trafford. “He has taken a knock and is not available” the club simply said, with new manager Michael Carrick not speaking about the Dutchman’s exclusion in his pre-match interview with Gary Neville because the topic was not raised. However, the exclusion of Zirkzee, despite United’s official explanation, only fuels market speculation that the attacker is increasingly convinced of Roma and even ready to force his hand with the Red Devils to make it happen.

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Already yesterday in Italy there was speculation about the possible absence of Zirkzee from the Red Devils’ training. The club had released a film of over 4 minutes on YouTube of training under Carrick in which the attacker targeted by Roma did not appear. In the video, of which several notes have been published on social networks and on the club’s website, it did not give a complete overview of all the players, but showed some of them (Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, and Harry Maguire, at work after an injury) then offering a general overview of the work at Old Trafford. In his first press conference as Manchester United manager, Carrick had not spoken about the Dutchman’s situation and Zirkzee was not present in the list of unavailable players released yesterday by the club. In England, a list of players called up before Premier League matches is not released, but it is the coaches at the press conference who, if requested, make a list of those unavailable. Zirkzee’s absence from the 20 players between the field and the bench was therefore not expected, and although the Red Devils’ official explanation is that of a knock that makes him unavailable, it is not very convincing.

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Zirkzee remains marginal, both in the United world and in his technical project. The club, having overcome the earthquake of Amorim’s dismissal and the transition to Carrick, who will lead the team until the end of the season, will examine the situation of all the players in the squad in the coming days. The idea at the start of the transfer window was to wait for the returns from the Africa Cup of Nations (Mbeumo and Diallo, but also Mazraoui who remains involved in the tournament with Morocco and on whom Juve would have their eyes) and then analyze the situation, with the idea of ​​not moving unless there are opportunities to sign players who can play an important role in the future of the club. The same mantra would also apply to transfers: no departures, unless there is a need for someone to arrive. In this philosophy, Zirkzee is the most expendable player, both because he has never convinced and because the Red Devils now have valid alternatives in attack. The dialogue with Roma ended after Amorim’s dismissal: if Zirkzee wants the Giallorossi, he must be the one to force his hand with a club that considers him marginal and absolutely transferable.