Joshua Zirkzee sends message as Man United forgotten man returns pre-Everton

Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee has welcomed teammate Tyrell Malacia back after his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Malacia, 25, made his first Man United start since the final game of the 2022-23 season, a 2-1 win over Fulham, in their nervy 3-2 Europa League victory over Bodo/Glimt.

Eighteen months and two knee surgeries later, the left-back was able to play 45 minutes before being replaced by Diogo Dalot.

He’s now in the running to feature in Sunday’s Premier League clash against Everton.

Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, which won him two league titles while at Sporting, requires an immense amount of running from the wing-backs.

Before his injury, Malacia would have been the perfect option, but a year and a half on the sidelines means United may be looking to reinforce the left-wingback position.

According to Rudy Galetti, Amorim has drawn up a three-man shortlist that includes Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves, Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, and former youth player Alvaro Carreras, now at Benfica.

Joshua Zirkzee and Tyrell Malacia’s Man United futures in doubt

Zirkzee, 23, is another player who might struggle for minutes under the new manager with the striker scoring just once in his first 18 games for the club.

According to Calciomercato, former manager Thiago Motta is interested in a reunion, with Juventus willing to offer Zirkzee a way out of his Man United nightmare just six months after joining.

Relegated to fairly frequent substitute appearances, Zirkzee has started just seven of his 18 games across all competitions, yielding a combined 721 minutes of action.

Their futures may be up in the air, but Zirkzee is glad to see Malacia return to action, taking to Instagram to show his support with a simple message.

A frustrating 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in Amorim’s first game in charge kept United in the bottom half, but a win over Sean Dyche’s Everton could see them close the gap on the European spots.

Just three points separate United down in 12th and Tottenham in sixth, with Amorim hoping to salvage something from United’s season.

In other news, Joshua Zirkee ‘ready to quit Man United’ after talks update.

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