Ruben Amorim confirms Joshua Zirkzee out for the season

Liam Williams Published: 16 Apr 25 13:06

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has confirmed Joshua Zirkzee will be out for the rest of the season through injury.

Zirkzee hobbled off with a hamstring injury in the 4-1 defeat to Newcastle at the weekend, and while muscle strains typically mean a minimum of two or three weeks out injured, the Netherlands forward’s issue appears much more severe.

United’s final game of the season comes on 25th May in the Premier League, meaning Amorim expects the former Bologna man to miss at least the next six weeks, though he will presumably be back for pre-season training in the summer.

Speaking to the media before United’s Europa League quarter-final clash with Lyon, Amorim said: “Joshua is out for the season. He is not going to play anymore this season. We must prepare him for next season.

“It is hard for any player to stop, but it's football. He has to be ready to recover.”

It leaves United desperately short up top as they bid for European glory to save their season. Rasmus Hojlund is the only other recognised senior forward in the squad and he has just one goal to his name in his last 26 games.

The more the season progresses and the longer Hojlund and Zirkzee’s goal droughts go on, the more important a new centre forward appears to be in the summer.

Amorim doesn’t appear to have a whole lot of faith in either Zirkzee or Hojlund, alternating between the two in recent weeks to no avail.

The 17-year-old Chido Obi will likely feature more for the Red Devils in the closing weeks of the campaign, though whether he will play any role on Thursday night remains to be seen, having completed 90 minutes for the under-21s on Monday.

While a fully fit United side doesn’t require wholesale changes to the starting XI, a new forward is a must, and the club have been linked with a number of targets, including Liam Delap, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Viktor Gyokeres, though how much they can spend in the summer – and the calibre of player they can attract – will be partially dictated by whether or not they qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

While any hopes of a semi-respectable finish in the Premier League are long gone, United can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League by winning the Europa League.

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