Erik ten Hag was reportedly unhappy with new recruit Joshua Zirkzee when he first joined Manchester United in the summer. It’s been a challenging start to life in the Premier League for the Dutch forward who, despite scoring on his debut in the 1-0 victory over Fulham to kick off the campaign, has since failed to find the net.
The 23-year-old has faced criticism from fans who have already started to lose faith in the former Bayern Munich prospect. It seems they’re not alone, as recent reports reveal that Zirkzee made an immediate poor impression on his manager when he first arrived for training.
Ten Hag Frustrated by Zirkzee’s Weight
The striker reportedly showed up to training a stone heavier than expected
According to a report by The Sun, Ten Hag was left furious by the fact that Zirkzee turned up to training after his end of season holiday a stone overweight (6.3kg). The forward was part of the Netherlands’ Euro 2024 squad but only played two minutes of football at the tournament. As a result, some at the football club were surprised by the fact that the player needed as much time off as other teammates who had made it deep into the tournament and played more games.
Furthermore, there was frustration in the United camp that Zirkzee didn’t offer to report to training during the pre-season tour to LA – where he was on vacation. It’s also claimed that the 23-year-old was not wanted by Erik ten Hag, and that he was an INEOS-led purchase. Instead, the former head coach favoured the return of Danny Welbeck, who has managed to have a renaissance of sorts at Brighton.
United parted ways with £36.5 million to bring Zirkzee in from Serie A side Bologna and awarded the Dutchman a contract worth £105,000-per-week. Despite this, making him the third-highest-earning attacker at the club behind Marcus Rashford and Antony, the striker has been relegated to a back-up role since Rasmus Hojlund returned from injury.