Thiago Motta responds to rumours Juventus could sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United in January

Thiago Motta has played down speculation that he and Joshua Zirkzee could be reunited at Juventus and insists he is ‘very happy’ with his current crop of players.

Zirkzee, 23, enjoyed a dream debut after arriving at Manchester United in the summer but the forward has badly struggled for form since then, adding just two goals to his tally following his late winner against Fulham.

There have been hopes that Zirkzee could turn his fortunes around under a new head coach in Ruben Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in the hot seat at Old Trafford last month.

However, Amorim singled Zirkzee out for criticism in the wake of United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich and rumours continue to swirl linking the attacker with a return to Italy, just six months on from his arrival in England.

Zirkzee thrived under Motta as the pair helped secure Bologna a Champions League spot for the first time in the club’s history last season and La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest the Juventus boss wishes to join forces again.

The report adds that the out-of-sorts Dutchman now actively ‘wants to leave’ the Theatre of Dreams to play under Motta in Turin.

But when asked about talk of a potential reunion with Zirkzee following Juve’s recent clash with Lecce, Motta refused to stir the pot.

‘The market will open in January and we are in total harmony with the club,’ Motta told reporters.

‘I am very happy with the players I have.

‘I hope that the injured players can return soon to be able to help the rest of the team.’

Reports in Italy indicate that Juventus have been exploring an initial loan move for Zirkzee, though it remains unclear whether United would be willing to sanction a temporary deal for their £36million signing.

The Netherlands attacker – capped six times by the national team – is tied into a contract in Manchester until 2029.

After finding the net in United’s 4-0 defeat of Everton, Zirkzee claimed that the side’s struggles had seen a strong bond form within the squad.

‘Hard times and strong people bond. I think that’s what’s happening now,’ he said.

‘Sunday was a great, great day. A win is exactly what these fans deserved so it was a great day.

‘As you said, there were a couple of moments where it could have gone differently, but I think we stayed strong as a team and 4-0 was a great result.’

Zirkzee thanked his team-mates for helping him get through his immensely ‘frustrating’ period in front of goal.

‘I felt comfortable in the role I was in. Of course, the goals help as well for a striker, but yeah, we all came out with the confidence that we were going to win this game,’ he added.

‘Obviously the longer it takes before you get back on the scoresheet, the more frustrating it gets for you as a player, but I have some great team-mates, who always kept my head up.

‘They helped me a lot during that time as well. Today they were happy for me as well.’

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