Utd star’s agent demands ‘showdown talks’ to determine his role, he’d be welcomed with ‘open arms’ elsewhere

With the exception of several academy players, fans aren’t expecting many outgoings at Old Trafford in the winter window.

For the first time in over a year, a Manchester United manager is able to navigate an almost fully-fit squad at his disposal, with the only two confirmed sidelined players being Luke Shaw and Mason Mount – as is usually the case.

Alas, it wouldn’t make much sense for INEOS to sanction numerous departures and leave Ruben Amorim short of options while he’s still trying to nail down his first-choice starting XI. Rotation has proved integral to his newly implemented style of play, and depth is necessary for him to continue doing so.

Issues may, however, arise if players themselves are pushing for moves. For example, nobody could blame Christian Eriksen for wanting to cut ties mid-season, as he hasn’t featured at all since Amorim’s first game in charge of the club. He is out of contract next summer, so January is the last chance United have of recuperating any fee from his departure.

Joshua Zirkzee offered winter return to Italy

Elsewhere, Sport Witness has relayed reports coming out of Italy (TuttoSport), which claim Joshua Zirkzee’s agent has demanded ‘showdown talks’ with the club in hopes of gauging his client’s role under the new head coach. In the first six matches of Amorim’s tenure, Zirkzee has started only twice, returning only two goals in that time – both of which came against Everton.

Italian outlets are going to try and create a certain narrative when reporting stories regarding the English top flight, so it’s perhaps worth taking them with a pinch of salt. They add that Zirkzee has a clear path back to Serie A in the form of Juventus – managed by his former Bologna boss Thiago Motta – who would welcome him with ‘open arms’.

United forked out £36.5 million to sign the Bayern Munich graduate in July, after which he put pen to paper on a five-year deal.