Ruben Amorim faced a difficult winter transfer period at Manchester United, as the team struggled to make significant acquisitions. Currently positioned 13th in the Premier League standings, the Red Devils were only able to sign two players: Patrick Dorgu, a left-back from Lecce, and young defender Ayden Heaven from Arsenal. This news is disappointing, particularly in light of United’s difficulties scoring this season. The absence of new signings is even more unexpected, especially after the exit of a number of important players, such as Marcus Rashford, a product of the academy. He was pushed out of the first team by head coach Amorim before eventually arranging a loan to Aston Villa for the remainder of the season. Antony has also left on loan to join Real Betis. Manchester United’s struggles in the January transfer window can be partially linked to the unsuccessful completion of three major transfers. The club was associated with Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Bayern Munich’s promising talent Mathys Tel but was unable to acquire either player. Furthermore, it has been reported that they rejected a significant proposal from Juventus for Joshua Zirkzee. The 23-year-old has faced a difficult beginning at Old Trafford after Manchester United acquired him for £36.5m last summer, with only four goals and two assists to his name this season, according to the Mirror. Zirkzee experienced one of his hardest times during a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle at the end of December when he was taken off in the first half by Amorim. The forward appeared clearly displeased with the call, quickly making his way down the tunnel, but soon came back to sit on the bench. Joshua Zirkzee ran toward the tunnel after being replaced in the first half of the match against Newcastle (Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images). According to Fabrizio Romano, Amorim is eager to keep Zirkzee. However, a former player has indicated that this kind of attitude would not have been tolerated during Sir Alex Ferguson’s era. Ben Foster, the former goalkeeper for both United and Wrexham, who spent five years at Old Trafford during Ferguson’s tenure, stated that the iconic manager would have quickly dismissed Zirkzee. On his YouTube channel, Foster remarked, “If Alex Ferguson had been the manager when he walked off down the tunnel, that player would have been finished.”
