Erik ten Hag approves Liverpool request from Joshua Zirkzee amid Man Utd crisis

Joshua Zirkzee did not get the chance to say goodbye to Bologna when he left the club to join Manchester United this summer and the Dutchman jumped at the chance to see some of his old colleagues

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is understood to have given striker Joshua Zirkzee permission to travel to Liverpool to say goodbye to his former Bologna team-mates.

The Dutch striker, who started United's bitterly disappointing 3-0 Premier League home defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, wanted to make the most of a rare chance to see his former colleagues after they jetted into Merseyside for Wednesday's Champions League showdown with the Reds at Anfield.

However, he did not want to make the one-hour trip across the North West to Bologna's team hotel without the approval of his club, who duly obliged, amid the current crisis at Old Trafford and sources indicate that after dishing out hugs and handshakes, Zirkzee was chatting away with his old friends until around 10:30pm on Tuesday night ahead of Thursday's Europa League trip to FC Porto.

The centre-forward helped fire the Italian side into Europe's elite club competition last season by netting 11 goals in 34 Serie A appearances.

It was a whirlwind summer for the 23-year-old, who completed his £36.5million transfer to the Red Devils just five days after Holland's Euro 2024 semi-final defeat to England in Dortmund.

However, the former Bayern Munich striker made it clear during a passion statement published upon signing for United that Bologna would always hold a special place in his heart.

He wrote in July: “Grazie, Rossoblu. I can’t really find the words to explain how much you all mean to me. The stadium, the city, this team, but especially the PEOPLE who will always have a special place in my heart.

“I hope that for all the support and trust that you gave me, I have given something back in return. Bologna is finally where it belongs and I will support and cheer for you from a distance! Ti Amo, Bolo. Forever”

Zirkzee's underwhelming United displays have swiftly come under fire despite netting a late winner from the bench on his debut against Fulham.

Image: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images) Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)

Dutch legend Frank de Boer hammered his compatriot following his disjointed performance against Spurs, telling Viaplay: "Look at Joshua Zirkzee. He was having a nightmare. He was absolutely shocking. How many times does he make the wrong choices on the pitch? Okay, he did have one shot at goal and the keeper saved it. But all in all he was champion in losing the ball.

"During the warm-up before the game, I was watching him and he was shooting on goal but he was blasting it anywhere but on target.

"Honestly, he did not hit the target once in the warm-up. That was terrible. When you are a good striker, you don’t have to blast every ball, you have to make sure your shots are in the corner. During the game Marcus Rashford tried to shoot like that. Zirkzee never did."

Zirkzee has just one goal in six Premier League appearances so far to date and is yet to feature alongside fellow striker Rasmus Hojlund as the pair continue to battle one another for a starting berth.

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