Ruben Amorim reveals stance on selling Man Utd striker Joshua Zirkzee | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed he wants to keep striker Joshua Zirkzee beyond the January transfer window.

Signed for £36.5m by former United boss Erik ten Hag in the summer, Zirkzee has endured an underwhelming start to life in England and has been heavily linked with a return to Serie A, where both Napoli and Juventus have been named as suitors.

While Amorim acknowledged that anything can happen in the transfer window, he stressed his desire to keep hold of Zirkzee for the remainder of the season.

"I want to keep Josh because he gives everything and he's trying in training but we don't know," Amorim told the media after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

"The window is open and we will see what happens. We just need to focus on training and to take this for the other games. It's just one point so let's focus on the performance for the next games."

Amorim hopes to keep Zirkzee / Stu Forster/GettyImages

It was previously reported that Zirkzee had already voiced a desire to remain with United for the remainder of this season at the very least, while the Red Devils are also said to have warned Juventus that they will not be able to land his signature on a cut-price loan deal.

Zirkzee's struggles during the first half of the season were exacerbated when he was substituted in the first half of the recent 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, with fans inside Old Trafford booing the Dutchman as he trudged down the tunnel.

"I was in the stands and have never seen something like this and it really frustrates me and annoys me because he is a player that always gives his all," club captain Bruno Fernandes told talkSPORT of the incident.

"As a player that is coming into the team from a different league he needs time to adapt but he has huge qualities. He hasn't shown all the quality but it can't be that from the first game of the season everyone was hyping him as one of the best strikers and now everyone doesn't believe in him anymore. We do believe in him inside the dressing room. I would rather be myself in this position against Newcastle and not seeing one of my teammates in that position."