Michael Carrick has made a flying start to his time as Manchester United interim head coach. The former United midfielder took over at a miserable time inside Old Trafford, and immediately won the hearts of United fans by defeating Manchester City in his first game in charge.
Given the likelihood that Carrick is only an interim, and will not be taking the job full-time in the summer, most United fans now expect a quiet January window. Why make alterations to fit the style of one manager when we know he'll be out the door come summertime?
The uncertainty around Old Trafford has seriously curtailed any chance of major transfer activity occurring. Carrick will, for obvious reasons, not be afforded the luxury of a rebuild in his short time in charge, and numerous reports have made it clear that United are unlikely to make any signings.
Despite this, one player is going continually linked to a move away.
Manchester United star continues to push for move away
Despite United's insistence that little to no transfer activity will be done over January, there are consistent rumours linking Joshua Zirkzee with a move to Italian side Roma.
Zirkzee has struggled for game time this season after an encouraging but largely underwhelming first season at Manchester United. The Dutch forward arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2024 for a fee of £36.5 million.
Zirkzee is reportedly pushing for a move away, as his lack of gametime is harming his chances of making Ronald Koeman's Netherlands squad for the World Cup this summer.
The change in management is likely to curtail Kirkzee's game time even further. Against Manchester City, Carrick elected to play without a traditional striker, instead opting for Bryan Mbeumo and his ability to occupy space in channels to create chances. Zirkzee was left out of the squad entirely.
With Benjamin Šeško appearing to find his feet, and Carrick's willingness to explore alternative attacking styles and tactics, Zirkzee's opportunities to impress are becoming smaller and smaller. One can understand his decision to push for an exit.
Unfortunately for him, United still seem unchanged in their stance on January business. Federic Massara, current director of football at Roma, has been open in the press about his club's pursuit of Joshua Zirkzee. He made it clear to reporters last weekend that United's opinion had not changed:
""Manchester United said no quite clearly a couple of weeks ago, and they have not changed their minds,""Frederic Massa
Zirkzee will no doubt continue pushing for an exit. With United now playing just 40 games in the entire season, the chances available to squad or fringe players will become less and less frequent. United's squad is thin, but not too thin given the fact United need only focus on one competition.
Michael Carrick can cope the rest of the season without Joshua Zirkzee, but only if no major attackers fall to a major injury. Zirkzee, while stunted as a footballer in some aspects plays like a 'glue guy', an archetype that is surprisingly rare in football. He can still be an asset to Manchester United.
If Zirkzee continues to push for an exit, there are suitors ready to pounce, even beyond Roma. Michael Carrick will want to retain the striker's services, but having unhappy players in a squad often causes damage. If Zirkzee does make a move, permanent or temprorary, Carrick will have to learn to operate without him.