Arsenal take the lead over Manchester United in the race for Joshua Zirkzee | OneFootball

Manchester United hardly showed any attacking intent against Arsenal and surrendered 0-1 to the league leaders at Old Trafford on Sunday.

On the back of a 0-4 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace, Erik ten Hag decided to play it safe and the team seemed quite happy to keep damage to a minimum despite the Gunners being far from impressive.

Alejandro Garnacho was profligate while Rasmus Hojlund once again got no service as he tried to wrestle with the Arsenal backline and ended up losing most of his duels.

The Dane needs a rest and has simply been overworked in his debut season. The United boss had asked for reinforcements last summer and in January but no help was forthcoming.

Rasmus needs help

Due to the perennial absence of Anthony Martial and now Marcus Rashford, the former Atalanta starlet has been forced to start almost every game when fit.

He needs time to adapt and the club needs to bring in an elite striker who can take the pressure off the young Denmark international’s shoulders next season.

One striker that has been frequently linked with the Red Devils this season is Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna. The Netherlands U21 star has 12 goals and seven assists this season, the most for his club, who are currently third in the table ahead of defending champions Napoli and giants Juventus.

The former Bayern Munich man’s exploits this season has attracted plenty of teams both in Italy and in England and that includes the 20-time English league champions as well as Mikel Arteta’s side.

According to Teamtalk, the North London team are ahead of the Manchester giants because of the uncertainty surrounding Ten Hag’s future and the fact that they can offer the 22-year-old the chance to play in the Champions League.

Zirkzee race

The United manager is an admirer and uptil INEOS’ arrival, the Dutchman was calling the shots regarding the transfer market and he had made the club keep tabs on the Bologna star.

But with the petrochemical giants taking transfer matters into their own hands and with Ten Hag’s own future far from certain, the club could potentially look elsewhere.

The Feyenoord youth product is desperate to play in Europe’s premier club competition with Bologna also set to qualify. It would be a huge call to go on represent the three-time Champions League winners who are looking likely to miss out on European football altogether next season.

“In England, two clubs have been following him carefully for some time. One of these is Manchester United, although TEAMtalk can reveal that option is complicated for two reasons.

“Firstly, the likely sacking of Erik ten Hag at the end of the season, his admirer and compatriot, could reduce the Red Devils’ interest.

United lagging behind in Zirkzee race

“Secondly, Zirkzee’s main desire is to play in the Champions League either at Bologna or with his next club, and United cannot guarantee him that possibility.

“Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that this is why Arsenal – who have already approached his entourage – remains a very hot option, in the event of a farewell to Bologna.”

His former club also possess a €40 million buy-back option but so far there has been no indication that they intend to activate it. However, a lot will depend on Thomas Tuchel’s successor and what he decides.

As for United, they will need to either keep looking or they could decide to try and blow their competitor’s out of the water with a huge bid if they are really interested in landing the 2019/20 Champions League winner.

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