Former Italian striker Paolo Di Canio believes Juventus would do well to snap up the services of Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee.

The 23-year-old rose to prominence during his time at Bologna, and there were rumors linking him with the Bianconeri last summer, especially following the appointment of his mentor Thiago Motta.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman ended up sealing a big-money move to Old Trafford, but he’s been struggling for form and goals in his early days in the Premier League.

So in his interview with Tuttosport (via IlBianconero), Di Canio suggests a loan move to Juventus, as he believes Zirkzee would struggle with the the fast-paced EPL.

“I would loan Zirkzee from Manchester United. They’ve been making crazy choices for several years and none of them are working, not even Zirkzee who’s a bit too slow for the Premier League.

“Perhaps he’ll prove me wrong with goals and great performances, but in England, they attack you straight away and whistle 30% fewer fouls. In Italy, we saw his impact on Bologna. In the end, amidst the confusion at United, they could even loan him out. They already have Hojlund, and then there’s Rashford who can play as a striker.

“He’d be the perfect profile for Juventus, also because it would allow Motta to have a striker with different characteristics to Vlahovic. Zirkzee isn’t a devastating scorer, he’s not someone who can score 25 goals, but he help others play well.”

The former Lazio and West Ham striker also insists Juventus summer signing Douglas Luiz is a “top player” despite a slow start to life in Italian football.

“I said that Juventus has signed a top player, and I am still convinced of it. However, what I saw here is a distant relative, he is unrecognisable. Beyond the 50 million valuation, which for me is also a fair price, he is truly a different player compared to the one I saw at Aston Villa.

“I don’t blame the player or the coach, I don’t know what the situation is, but there could be a psychological problem. But I have no doubts about the player’s professsionalism. At Aston Villa, he was an idol and they loved him. Perhaps sitting on the bench saddened him. It’s normal that Thiago now prefers Locatelli who is more focused, more attentive, quicker in the head and on the foot.”

Stanislav Lobotka has continued to shine under Antonio Conte and continues to be on the radar on major clubs, for instance, Barcelona and Manchester City. The Blaugrana have been monitoring for a few years, Mundo Deportivo relays (via OneFootball).

The Sky Blues have begun eyeing him lately after losing Rodri to a season-ending knee injury. The English champions have set sights on Samuele Ricci too. The interest is reciprocated by the Torino midfielder.

Napoli are in the driver’s set concerning the future of Lobotka. He’s under contract until 2027 with an option for a one extra year. His agent has occasionally hinted at a move to other sides. Though, it has never been particularly close since he’s been essential in recent seasons.

The Partenopei paid €23M to acquire the maestro from Celta Vigo in January 2020. He became a fixture in 2021/2022. He raised the level of his game to elite levels with Luciano Spalletti on the bench. The midfielder has racked up 172 appearances, scoring twice and providing 3 assists. He has 61 caps and 4 gals with Slovakia.

Our Take on Lobotka, Manchester City, and Barcelona

He’d be perfect to replace Rodri, but he’s about as untouchable as it gets. In standard situations, a large offer from a player who’s pushing 30 would be evaluated, as it’d be the last chance to profit on him, but the Azzurri haven’t paid much attention to their finances since hiring Antonio Conte, who’d surely veto his departure. The player would have to come out and declare his intention to leave for something to happen. He might at some point down the line after a long spell, but it’d be a stunner if it happened anytime soon

Manchester United summer signing Manuel Ugarte is ‘unhappy’ and is already ‘regretting’ his decision to join the Premier League giants from PSG.

The Red Devils spent around £185m in the summer to sign Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.

One of their priorities in the summer was to sign a defensive midfielder and they signed Ugarte from Ligue Un giants PSG.

Man Utd were initially priced out of a move for Ugarte, but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his recruitment team held firm before finalising a deal worth an initial £42m plus add-ons on deadline day.

Ugarte was mooted as a long-term replacement for Casemiro, but the Uruguay international has only made one Premier League start and was an unused substitute against Aston Villa last weekend.

Van Basten said: “Ugarte, who cost £50 million, you think, ‘how do you even think about paying so much money for that?’ That is really bizarre.”

He added: “It’s true that the big clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Arsenal, they get the better ones and he [Erik ten Hag] always comes with second-rate players. That team has not got better.

“He remains a good trainer but if you see the purchasing policy and those boys which were then bought for 700 million, I don’t see any return on that, they’re still poorly organised.

“There is no star walking around who organises it, who leads, none. A few years ago Marcus Rashford was a great player, he can’t do anything about this any more, it’s unbelievable. It’s strange for that a boy who was a world star years ago.”

A report in Spain claims Uagrte ‘regrets joining Man Utd in the summer’ as he already ‘appears to be reconsidering his decision’ to sign for the Premier League giants.

Ugarte is reportedly’ not happy’ at Man Utd as his ‘limited participation’ has ‘frustrated’ the defensive midfielder.

‘Manuel Ugarte appears to be reconsidering his decision to join Manchester United in the last summer transfer window. The Uruguayan midfielder is not having the experience he expected with Erik Ten Hag as his new coach. Although he was expected to have an important role in the team, his participation has been much more limited than anticipated, generating frustration in the player.