Man United should sell £36m man and replace him with proven star who compares himself to Kylian Mbappe
Joshua Zirkzee has been linked with a move away in the January transfer window after one and a half years at Man United.
Manchester United will be looking ahead to the January transfer window, knowing that they will likely need to sell players to bring more in. They spent over £170m in the summer, and several of their players have been linked with moves away this winter.
One of those names is Joshua Zirkzee, who has struggled to hit the ground running at Old Trafford after joining over a year ago under Erik Ten Hag. Since Ruben Amorim’s appointment, Zirkzee has scored just six goals in 36 games and has now been replaced by Benjamin Sesko.
With Sesko being the first choice at United, Zirkzee is somewhat surplus to requirements, and reports have said he could leave in the January transfer window, but if he does, United will need to ensure they replace him well.
Man United should sell Zirkzee and replace him with Mateta
If the Red Devils do decide to sell the Dutch striker in January, they should consider replacing him with a more experienced striker who can help take some of the pressure off Sesko, who is still only 22 years old.
In terms of who that striker could be, Jean-Philippe Mateta seems to be the ideal choice, as he comes off the back of scoring a hat-trick in the Premier League against Bournemouth over the weekend. The Crystal Palace attacker has already scored five goals in eight games in the league, making him the second top-scorer behind Erling Haaland. He has a current market value of just £30m, but Palace would likely demand a lot more than that.
Mateta has a physical presence and has proven that he is capable of scoring 20-plus goals in the Premier League if he gets the right amount of service. Mateta’s impressive outings earned him his first call up for the France National team earlier this month, meaning he got to play alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe.
After coming back from international duty, Mateta compared himself to Mbappe, saying that even though he’s not as quick, his strength gives him more than the Real Madrid star. He told RMC Sport: “They’re [Mbappe] faster, but I’m stronger. I have a striker’s instinct, I protect the ball well, and I’m good in the air.”
Where could Zirkzee go in the January window?
Seeing as there has been a lot of talk surrounding an exit for Zirkzee, the Man United striker has two potential destinations emerging at the moment. Firstly, if he wants to stay in the Premier League, West Ham have been linked to signing him.
The Hammers’ squad isn’t good enough currently, and they would be relying on signings such as Zirkzee to keep them in the Premier League, as they find themselves battling against relegation under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Zirkzee has also been linked with a move back to the Serie A, with Roma, Inter Milan and Juventus previously mentioned as potential destinations for the 24-year-old. United paid around £36m for him last year, and so will hope to get a similar fee back - his current estimated market value is around £24m.