Joshua Zirkzee has been told he’s “too slow for the Premier League” by Paolo Di Canio, who has tipped Manchester United to loan out the Dutchman.
Di Canio took a dig at Manchester United’s transfer policies in the last couple of years as he urged Juventus to sign Zirkzee on loan from the Premier League club. The Dutch forward has so far failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford, having moved to United from Bologna in a £36 million ($47m) summer deal.
Ex-Italy star Di Canio, who spent seven years in the English top-flight – plying his trade at three different clubs, Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Charlton Athletic – claimed that Zirkzee is “too slow” for the league and believes he should come back to Serie A – where he had an impressive outing in the 2023/24 campaign and played an important role in Bologna qualifying for the Champions League.
Speaking to Tuttosport, the 56-year-old said: “I would loan Zirkzee from Manchester United. They’ve been making crazy choices for several years and none of them are working, not even Zirkzee who’s a bit too slow for the Premier League. Perhaps he’ll prove me wrong with goals and great performances, but in England, they attack you straight away and whistle 30% fewer fouls.
“In Italy, we saw his impact on Bologna. In the end, amidst the confusion at United, they could even loan him out. They already have [Rasmus] Hojlund, and then there’s Rashford who can play as a striker. He’d be the perfect profile for Juventus, also because it would allow Motta to have a striker with different characteristics to [Dusan] Vlahovic. Zirkzee isn’t a devastating scorer, he’s not someone who can score 25 goals, but he helps others play well.”
The forward will be back in action for the Red Devils on Saturday as Erik ten Hag’s men take on Brentford in an important Premier League fixture at Old Trafford.
