Erik ten Hag stance clear with Man Utd 'already planning to cut ties' to land swap deal

Erik ten Hag appears to have been justified in his reluctance to sign Joshua Zirkzee, as Man Utd reportedly prepare to offload him in a player-plus-cash deal for their top transfer target

Manchester United are reportedly ready to swap flop signing Joshua Zirkzee for Viktor Gyokeres, proving Erik ten Hag’s doubts about the Dutchman’s transfer correct.

United signed Zirkzee, 23, from Serie A side Bologna in the summer for £36.5million. Any hope that the Netherlands international would hit the ground running after his debut goal against Fulham has dissipated, with the striker failing to score in any of his appearances across all competitions since.

Red Devils manager Ten Hag, recently sacked and replaced by Sporting CP head coach Ruben Amorim, was reportedly not convinced about Zirkzee’s goal-scoring prowess even before United signed him. Zirkzee has never been particularly prolific, and The Sun claimed Ten Hag was furious when the forward arrived at Carrington for the first time “a stone overweight”.

Publicly, Ten Hag was far less scathing in his criticism, only suggesting that neither of his forward options were world class right now. He cryptically said: “I think we have two young strikers who have the potential to grow into top-class strikers in Ramus Højlund and Zirkzee.”

Ten Hag, who is currently without a job, may have been justified in his concerns as Fabrizio Romano reported this week that United may already be looking to flog Zirkzee as part of a deal to secure highly-rated Sporting striker Gyokeres.

The Dutchman will likely understand Amorim's desire to bring in a proven goalscorer like Gyokeres - especially considering he openly admitted that Zirkzee was not yet a top-level striker - as the Portuguese boss bids to turn their fortunes around after a disastrous start to the season.

Romano added that Zirkzee’s United future is in doubt, while Caughtoffside also claimed that he could be used in a player-plus-cash deal which would reunite Gyokeres with newly-appointed United manager Amorim.

What Amorim thinks of Zirkzee and how much the Dutch striker will play under him this season remains to be seen. United are understood to want to consider all of their options before parting ways.

Gyokeres could be available for a sum of just £63m, with his relationship with Amorim being a huge advantage. But any deal would have to take place next summer rather than in the January transfer window as Amorim has vowed not to raid his former club, at least until the end of the season.

As reported by A Bola, Amorim said: “I will not sign any Sporting player at Man United in January… then, what happens in the summer I don't know. Sporting players are good players. We will see what happens.”

Gyokeres has already impressed United fans by netting a hat-trick against their rivals Manchester City in a Champions League clash for Sporting this month. That takes his incredible return in 2024 up to 48 goals.

United have recently been given a boost in their bid to sign Gyokeres with Sporting CP president Frederico Vandaras hinting the Swedish goal machine could be sold off in the summer. He said: "I can't promise anything. If a club arrives and pays the release clause, if he (Gyokeres) wants to go, he will go, but I do not think this will happen in January."

Furthermore, Deco has revealed that the 26-year-old is not Barcelona's priority signing despite being appreciated by the club. "Gyokeres is a good player," Deco said. "He has been scoring goals for some time in Portugal. We know him as we know others but it's not a priority for us right now.

"When the time comes to make a decision and I have to make it because I am the one at the club, we will consider the options. But I don't think it's the right time to talk about any player."

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