Burkina Faso
Croatia
Czech Republic
Indonesia
International Tournaments
Nigeria
Republic OF Ireland
South Africa

Manchester United

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 January 2025, 13:30
Harry Maguire has revealed that he sent a private message to Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee after the striker was jeered off the pitch by some supporters in a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United last month.

Zirkzee was signed by the Red Devils last summer for a reported £42m from Bologna, but he has struggled to make the desired impact in front of goal this season.

Since scoring on his Premier League debut as a substitute on the opening weekend of the season back in August last year, Zirkzee has found the net just three times in his last 30 appearances for Man United across all competitions.

The 23-year-old was handed just his seventh Premier League start of the season in the aforementioned defeat to Newcastle on December 30, but he was taken off by new head coach Ruben Amorim in the 33rd minutes after the Red Devils conceded twice in the opening 19 minutes.

The substitute was met by a mocked applause from large sections of the Old Trafford faithful as Zirkzee immediately rushed down the tunnel before re-emerging to watch the rest of the match from the bench.

Maguire: 'Zirkzee must bring belief and confidence out of himself'

Maguire, who has also endured similar low moments on a personal level as a Man United player, has offered his support to Zirkzee and was pleased that the Dutchman redeemed himself with a 'game-changing' cameo in their FA Cup third-round win over Arsenal earlier this month.

"I sent him a message privately after the [Newcastle] game," Maguire told reporters. "Josh is a good player and you don't play for this club if you are not a good player.

"He has got to bring that belief and that confidence out of himself. In football, there is always another game and a next opportunity.

"Josh came on against Arsenal and really changed the game for us, and to score that winning penalty probably gave him a lot of confidence and belief that he belongs at this football club."

Maguire has acknowledged that Man United greats of the past including Wayne Rooney and David Beckham have had their fair share of critics and he is not surprised that Amorim's current squad - labelled as "maybe the worst" in the club's history - is facing widespread backlash following a poor run of form.

Maguire: 'When times are tough, Man Utd fans really get behind you'

"There are so many ups and downs. Every game you lose, there's a lot of scrutiny and that's part and parcel of playing for this club," said Maguire.

"I look at previous players, the likes of Beckham and Rooney had a lot of scrutiny. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.

"The fans have been brilliant with [Zirkzee]. We have amazing fans that stick with us through thick and thin. When times are tough, they really get behind you and support you.

"I have felt that and I am sure Josh would have been feeling that over the recent weeks.

"We want to get higher in the Premier League and be challenging at the top end of it, but this season, ultimately, we have not been good enough."

Man United have won just five matches out of 15 in all competitions since Amorim succeeded Erik ten Hag in November last year and they currently sit 13th in the Premier League table, 11 points behind the top seven.

Both Zirkzee and Maguire are in contention to start for the Red Devils when they welcome Scottish giants Rangers to Old Trafford for a Europa League clash on Thursday night.

Written by

Oliver Thomas

Show more

Top News

2 February 2025 talksport.com Marcus Rashford was told Ruben Amorim would not play him at Manchester United if he stayed at the club, talkSPORT understands. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Adana Demirspor vs. Kasimpasa (Sunday, 10.30am) With each passing gameweek in the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig, Adana Demirspor's hopes of avoiding relegation continue to fade, and the league's bottom side will look to keep their survival dreams alive when they host Kasimpasa at the New Adana Stadium on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon vs. Farense (Sunday, 6.00pm) Fresh off the back of reaching the Champions League knockout phase, Sporting Lisbon welcome SC Farense to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in round 20 of the Primeira Liga on Sunday. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Almere City vs. RKC Waalwijk (Sunday, 11.15am) With both teams running out of time to preserve their Eredivisie status, Almere City and RKC Waalwijk will do battle at the Yanmar Stadion on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Barcelona's pursuit of La Liga leaders Real Madrid will continue on Sunday afternoon, when they welcome struggling Alaves to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for a must-win contest. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus vs. Empoli (Sunday, 11.30am) After back-to-back defeats, Juventus will seek an end to their three-game winless streak on Sunday, when they welcome Serie A strugglers Empoli to Turin. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Frankfurt vs. Wolfsburg (Sunday, 2.30pm) Eintracht Frankfurt's home clash against Wolfsburg at Deutsche Bank Park on Sunday in the Bundesliga could be hugely significant in the race for Champions League football. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Nice (Sunday, 2.00pm) Europe hopefuls Toulouse welcome Champions League-chasing Nice in Sunday's gameweek 20 Ligue 1 action at Stadium de Toulouse. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Motherwell vs. Celtic (Sunday, 3.00pm) Motherwell, looking to rebound from three consecutive defeats, will host Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon. 2 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The opening match in the Coupe de France round of 16 will see Dunkerque seeking an upset victory over Lille on Tuesday at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Troyes will seek a place in the Coupe de France quarter-finals for the first time in a dozen years when they host Brest on Tuesday at Stade de l'Aube. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over a deal to send midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka on loan to the Signal Iduna Park, according to a report. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tyrell Malacia's proposed loan move from Manchester United to Benfica has reportedly collapsed due to the Portuguese side failing to meet the Red Devils' demands. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that influential attacker Matheus Cunha has signed a new contract at the club until the summer of 2029. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Jude Bellingham was every football fan as the Real Madrid star reacted in awe to Chris Wood's hat-trick. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Carlos Romero scored the only goal of the match as Espanyol recorded a shock 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in Saturday night's La Liga contest in Catalonia. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to hijack Wolverhampton Wanderers' proposed move for Lens defender Kevin Danso, who is now on his way to North London. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Tottenham have hijacked Wolves' deal to sign Kevin Danso on a permanent basis, talkSPORT understands. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Arsenal must take full advantage of Manchester City's makeshift defence to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Fabian Hurzeler has been branded as a 'disgrace' for seemingly failing to acknowledge Brighton's travelling fans following their record defeat. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted that he is concerned by the injury that Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered during Saturday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has explained why Mathys Tel was not involved in Saturday's Bundesliga contest with Holstein Kiel. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray will look to keep their title charge on track when they travel to face Gaziantep at the Gaziantep Stadium on Monday. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Marcus Rashford reportedly said goodbye to his Manchester United teammates on Saturday afternoon, with the forward preparing to join Aston Villa on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Arne Slot has declared he would be 'surprised' if Trent Alexander-Arnold features in Liverpool's Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham next week. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has joined an exclusive club of Premier League scorers with his brace in Saturday's 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. 1 February 2025 talksport.com Frank Lampard has guided Coventry to their first win against Swansea since 1981 to boost their unlikely play-off hopes. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are open to the idea of letting Richarlison leave this month, despite the Brazilian's recent return to form, according to a report. 1 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic are reportedly in discussions with Sevilla over a loan deal for forward Kelechi Iheanacho.