Joshua Zirkzee is attracting interest from Juventus and Napoli, but will fight for his future at Manchester United.
The Dutch international began his career at Old Trafford, following a £36.5million arrival from Bologna in the summer, with a bang by scoring on his debut in the 1-0 win over Fulham on the opening day of the season.
Although he has continued to play regularly, the 23-year-old’s season has been faltering since then, culminating in his 33rd-minute substitution against Newcastle on Monday night.
Zirkzee’s stock remains high in Italy, with Juve and Napoli reviewing their interest in the striker amid hopes from Serie A sides that there may be an opportunity to sign the striker due to uncertainty over his position in Ruben Amorim’s plans.
Both clubs were interested in Zirkzee, who has scored four goals this season, in the summer but United beat them to his signature.
And Mail Sport has learned that both clubs are positioning themselves to attack Zirkzee should he be able to leave.
Striker Joshua Zirkzee, 23, has had a disappointing start to his Manchester United career.
He was replaced by Rubén Amorim (left) after 33 minutes of Monday’s defeat against Newcastle.
Zirkzee is now wanted by two clubs in Italy, where he previously scored 14 goals for Bologna
Zirkzee is believed to be aware of the interest but is fully focused on his season with United and has no desire to leave as he focuses on playing a role in moving the team up the table.
His first-half substitution against the Magpies was an obvious blow, but it hasn’t dampened his determination to succeed.
United coach Amorim, explaining his decision to substitute Zirkzee in the 33rd minute, explained: “Josh is a really good boy. We will support him and move on. It was very difficult for me to do that, but I spoke to Josh because he was important to get the message across. We needed Josh to come out for the team.
“The player is suffering and I was there a few years ago. I felt that he and the team were suffering during the game and we needed another midfielder. It was difficult for me to do that and I spoke to Josh about it because it is important to get the message across.”
Monday’s defeat left United with just 22 points halfway through their Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils are currently 14th in the standings, 13 points off the top four and just seven clear of the relegation zone.
