Zirkzee asks United for January exit to boost World Cup hopes

Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee has told club officials he wants to leave Old Trafford in January after falling down the pecking order and seeing his hopes of playing at the 2026 World Cup weakened by limited minutes, multiple accounts indicate. The 24 year old Dutch international, who joined United from Bologna in July 2024, has made only a handful of brief appearances this season and was omitted from the latest Netherlands squad.

Zirkzee featured regularly in his first season at United but scored only seven goals across his debut campaign, and this summer the club signed Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško as part of a significant overhaul of the forward line. That influx, together with tactical choices that have sometimes deployed midfielders as makeshift strikers, has left Zirkzee with roughly 80 minutes of playing time so far this term and largely on the bench under manager Ruben Amorim.

The limited game time has consequences for Zirkzee’s international prospects. He has not played for the Netherlands since last November and was left out of Ronald Koeman’s most recent squad. Reports say the striker has pressed United for a move in January to secure...