"I should have listened to Ten Hag." Manchester United invested 65 billion won → 96kg overweight → 1 goal in 15 games... "It was actually a board game."
"I should have listened to Ten Hag." Manchester United invested 65 billion won → 96kg overweight → 1 goal in 15 games... "It was actually a board game."
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Coach Erik ten Hag must have had the right eye this time. It is reported that he opposed the recruitment of Joshua Zirqzi (23), who he thought was a Dutch connection.
British newspaper The Sun reported on Monday (Korean time) that Ten Hag, who was fired from Manchester United, did not want to sign a contract with Zirqzi for 36.5 million pounds (about 65.4 billion won). He got angry with Zirqzi because he was overweight.
The media explained, "Zirkji arrived at Manchester United overweight last summer, and Ten Hach didn't even want him. A £36.5 million failure, he has scored only once this season and started only four out of 12 Premier League (PL) games."
Zirqzi is not a coach but a player that Manchester United board members wanted. The Sun said, "Zirqzi took some time to lose weight when he arrived at Manchester United. His physical condition made Ten Hag unhappy. In the first place, he was not even the striker that Ten Hag chose," adding, "The new Manchester United board members led by INEOS have selected Zirqzi as a cost-effective player."
According to media, Girksey was a "stone overweight." Generally, a stone refers to 14 pounds (6.35 kilograms) in the U.K. It is interpreted that Girksey exceeded his normal weight by 6.35 kilograms when he arrived at Manchester United. Considering that he usually weighs around 90 kilograms, Girksey must have weighed well over 96 kilograms.
Manchester United sought to strengthen its striker in the transfer market last summer, and brought in Zirkji, who was drawing attention from Bologna. Rasmus Hoylun, who was acquired by paying 85 million euros including options a year ago, did not perform as well as expected. He wanted to add another striker to make up for Hoylun's shortcomings.
However, it was unclear whether Zirkji could be a solution. He is also only a rising prospect and is not a type of person who has great determination or destructive power. Rather, Zirkji is considered a weakness for finishing, and he is a player who has a strength in linking 2nd lines based on a wide range of activities. Naturally, there was a question mark whether it suited the No. 9 striker role that Manchester United was looking for.
Nevertheless, Manchester United is embracing Zirqzi by paying a large sum of money. However, his feeling of anxiety was not missed. Zirqzi has scored only one goal and had two assists in 15 games this season. Rather than shoving Hoylun aside, he has not displayed proper presence and is mostly sitting on the bench.
If the Sun's report is true, Ten Hag's refusal to recruit Zirkji was right. "Many fans still doubt whether Zirkji is fit enough to play in a PL. This is a matter of debate," the Sun said. "Zirkji missed pre-season training even though he played for just two minutes at the Euro tournament. He took a break from allotted time during his vacation in Los Angeles. His colleagues were also training in Los Angeles, but they raised eyebrows when he just greeted them."
Meanwhile, Ten Hag was dismissed amid slumping strikers including Zirqzi. "Ten Hag took over the post in April 2022 and won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024, winning two domestic trophies. We thank him for everything he has done for us and wish him all the best in the future," Manchester United said on Monday.
According to The Athletic, Ten Hag was dismissed on Monday morning local time. He was scheduled to lead Manchester United until June 2026 after signing a one-year contract extension last summer. However, he was able to resign after repeated poor performances.
Manchester United is off to its worst start this season. It had only three wins, two draws and four losses in nine league games under Ten Hag, and drew 1-1 with Chelsea under interim coach Rut van Nisteloui. It has 12 points in 10 matches, staying in 13th place. This is the lowest score since the 1967-87 season. Manchester United is one of the three teams that failed to post double-digit goals with just nine goals. 토토사이트
The next head coach to lead Manchester United will be Hoobeng Amorim. He will leave Sporting on the 11th and officially take over at Manchester United. Manchester United reportedly paid 11 million euros (about 16.5 billion won) including the buyout amount to quickly appoint Amorim.