"He is the flop of the year", "This man is not a footballer" - Fans slam Manchester United star for his showing while on international duty
Fans have blasted Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee on X (formerly Twitter) after he couldn't make an impact in the Netherlands' 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two sides faced off in the final group-stage game of the UEFA Nations League at the Bilino Polje Stadium on Tuesday, November 19.
The Oranje broke the deadlock in the 24th minute via Brian Brobbey's header. Zirkzee had a big chance to score in the 41st minute but saw his effort saved by the opposition keeper. The Netherlands were punished for not taking their chances in the 67th minute when Ermedin Demirovic netted a rebound header to seal a point for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Having already sealed a spot in the Nations League knockouts, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman fielded a weakened side, handing opportunities to fringe players. Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee was handed a start, playing as the No. 10 behind Wout Weghorst.
However, the 23-year-old struggled during his 77 minutes on the pitch. He created zero chances, landed no shots on target, lost three duels, and completed just 19 passes with an accuracy of 76 percent. The Manchester United summer signing has also struggled at club level, scoring just one goal in 17 appearances across competitions this season.
One fan posted:
"We need to sell zirkzee asap."
Another tweeted:
"Zirkzee is the flop of the Year. How do you miss this?"
Other fans reacted below:
"No one will pay more than 15 mil for zirkzee. He’s worse than weghorst," one fan commented.
"Amorim got a lot of work to do man!" another added.
"I don't understand why he misses these kinds of opportunities," one fan typed.
"This man is not a footballer. What is he doing in football even?" another chimed in.
When will Manchester United be back in action?
Ruben Amorim will be aiming to get his Manchester United tenure off to a winning start after replacing interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy over the international break. The Red Devils are set to face Ipswich Town in the Premier League at Portman Road (Sunday, November 24).
The Red Devils have had a poor season so far and are languishing in 13th place with just 15 points from 11 league games, 13 points behind leaders Liverpool. This poor run of form led to former manager Erik ten Hag's sacking on October 28.
Amorim will have to get the best of the current Manchester United squad to challenge for a top-four finish. To his credit, the 39-year-old had an excellent record at Sporting CP between March 2020 and November 2024, winning 164 games from his 231 in charge with a win percentage of 71.