Man Utd star 'wants to quit club' before playing a single minute under Ruben Amorim

New Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has been rocked by reports that Joshua Zirkzee is planning to cut short his spell at Old Trafford despite not playing a single minute under him.

The Dutchman arrived in a £42million transfer from Bologna in July after impressing for the Serie A side, helping them qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Despite scoring on his debut for United, Zirkzee hasn’t been able to find the net on a regular basis and lost his place in the United team before Erik ten Hag was sacked.

Reports in October indicated the 23-year-old was unhappy in Manchester and was exploring the idea of securing a move back to Italy in time for the January transfer window.

According to Italian newspaper La Stampa, Zirkzee is ‘seriously considering’ an exit in the winter transfer window, despite Amorim’s arrival offering him a chance for a reset in the Premier League.

The former Bayern Munich trainee has apparently ‘instructed’ his agents to find him a new club and they are looking to entice Juventus into making an offer.

A move to the Allianz Stadium would make perfect sense as it would reunite the Netherlands international with his former Bologna boss, Thiago Motta, who took charge of the Old Lady this summer.

Motta is keen to bring in a striker as cover for Dusan Vlahovic and Zirkzee may well fit the profile he is looking for. The Bianconeri are unlikely to push for a permanent deal in January, though, and a loan deal may be the only solution offered, with Zirkzee ‘interested’ in joining the Serie A side.

The striker has struggled for form since signing for United, finding the net only once in 17 appearances. His debut goal came against Fulham when he was summoned from the bench and the super-sub guided the ball into the corner to make him an instant hit with the Stretford End.

But the towering forward has struggled to make much of an impact since then, with Rasmus Hojlund’s return from injury relegating him to the bench. He has featured for just 37 minutes in the league since the last international break in October.

It remains to be seen what Amorim’s plans are for Zirkzee as he gets to work at Carrington. The 39-year-old officially assumed his new role on November 11 and worked during the international break to get acquainted with life in Manchester.

But reports persist that the Portuguese is keen on bringing Viktor Gyokeres with him from former club Sporting. That scenario could allow Zirkzee to leave to make room if the Swedish goal machine, who already has 33 goals for club and country this term, decides to return to England.