Manchester United are already living in the afterglow of Joshua Zirkzee’s time at Old Trafford. The Dutchman is still on the books, but the club are preparing as if he has already gone.
Zirkzee wants out after a bruising spell in England: nine goals in 75 games is a harsh return for a forward once billed as a centrepiece. Talks with Fiorentina are moving, and the Italian club believe they can land him on a season-long loan. United, for their part, see that potential deal as a financial and tactical release valve.
Offload Zirkzee, clear the wage bill, open a slot in the squad. Then strike.
Matanovic: the towering solution
The name at the top of Michael Carrick’s list is Robert Matanovic. At 6ft 5in, he looks every inch the replacement for a United side suddenly short of muscle and menace in the box.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that United view the Freiburg striker as the ideal successor, and the numbers from his debut season in Germany back that up. Signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for £6.9m, the 23-year-old hit 15 goals in all competitions and helped drive Julian Schuster’s side all the way to the Europa League final, where they fell to Aston Villa.
He left that night without a medal, but not without admirers.
Matanovic’s stock has risen again in the opening weeks of this campaign. He didn’t find the net in three appearances at the summer World Cup, yet he has exploded back into club form, most recently with a sharp brace in Freiburg’s DFB-Pokal win over Dusseldorf. It is the kind of form that makes bigger clubs move quickly, especially when a deadline looms on Tuesday.
A squad stripped down the middle
United’s pursuit of a new number nine is not just opportunism; it is necessity. Rasmus Hojlund has already gone, sold to Napoli, and the squad has felt hollow through the spine ever since.
Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba have been eased into midfield and brought control, but the front line tells a different story. The lack of a ruthless finisher screamed out in their shock 2-0 defeat to Hull City, a result that sharpened the focus on recruitment rather than dulled it.
Matanovic would change the profile of the attack in an instant. He offers height, aerial threat, and the kind of physical presence that drags centre-backs into places they do not want to go. United see a focal point, a reference for runners, a player who can turn sterile possession into penalty-box chaos.
Tottenham and Fiorentina circle
United, though, are not alone at the table.
Tottenham have stepped into the race, with Roberto De Zerbi keen to add more size and variety to his front line despite already having Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. Spurs want a different option, a striker who can bully as well as finish, and Matanovic fits that brief.
Then comes Fiorentina, complicating everything. Fabio Grosso’s side are already deep in talks for Zirkzee, but their recruitment plans do not end there. With Moise Kean set to join Cesc Fabregas at Como, La Viola need a new striker of their own and have Matanovic marked down as a serious alternative target.
If Zirkzee’s move hits a snag, Fiorentina are ready to pivot. That switch of focus could turn a tense negotiation into a full-blown three-way bidding war between United, Tottenham and the Serie A club.
A Mandzukic echo and a looming decision
Comparisons with Mario Mandzukic follow Matanovic wherever he goes. The Croatian connection is obvious, but so is the style: aggressive, relentless, happy to fight for every ball in the air and on the deck. Clubs know exactly what they are buying.
For United, landing him before the window closes would be more than a signing. It would be a statement that the post-Zirkzee rebuild up front has a clear direction: bigger, stronger, more direct.
For Tottenham, it would be another step in reshaping an attack that has been searching for a new identity since Harry Kane’s departure.
For Fiorentina, it could be the difference between simply replacing Kean and transforming their frontline entirely.
The clock is ticking toward Tuesday. Zirkzee’s exit looks close, the dominoes are lined up, and Matanovic stands at the heart of it all. Who blinks first?
