Rio Ferdinand expressed his sympathy for Joshua Zirkzee after the Manchester United player faced both boos and cheers when he was taken off during Monday night’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United at Old Trafford. With United down 2-0 just 19 minutes into the game, head coach Ruben Amorim opted for a tactical change, substituting Zirkzee for Kobbie Mainoo 14 minutes later. As Zirkzee’s number appeared on the fourth official’s board, parts of the Old Trafford crowd responded with sarcastic cheers as he headed to the sidelines. After putting on his tracksuit jacket, Zirkzee quickly went towards the Stretford End tunnel, clearly upset by the crowd’s reaction. He returned a few minutes later and received applause from parts of the home crowd and United substitutes Leny Yoro and Alejandro Garnacho. Zirkzee has faced challenges since joining United from Bologna in the summer, having scored four goals in 27 matches, but the welcome he received against Eddie Howe’s team was unwarranted. Ferdinand found it hard not to feel sympathy for him. On “Rio Ferdinand Presents,” he stated: “I have compassion for him.” As a former professional footballer, I feel truly saddened for him. “Being taken off after just 30 minutes is difficult to accept, especially with the crowd’s reaction, which included some boos and similar reactions.” It’s tough, man. I feel for him and wish he can heal and be rebuilt from the inside, with the help of the players and the coach. The manager mentioned, ‘I will talk to him since it was a tactical choice,’ but I would argue that this isn’t the first occurrence of this sort. “We’ve witnessed more skilled players recover from similar situations, and we’ve seen some prominent players taken off during critical moments in a game, so it’s also about having the strength to rebound.”
