Joshua Zirkzee breaks silence after FA Cup penalty shootout miss | OneFootball

Manchester United Joshua Zirkzee has apologised to fans following the club's exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Fulham on Sunday evening.

United's defence of the trophy they lifted in shock fashion at Wembley Stadium last May went up in smoke from the penalty spot, with a shootout required to separate the teams after 120 minutes of action at Old Trafford could only yield a 1-1 draw.

Fulham were flawless from 12 yards and, by the time Zirkzee stepped up to take his penalty, United hopes were already hanging by a thread. Victor Lindelof had failed to convert the previous kick and Zirkzee's effort, saved by Bernd Leno, had been needed just to keep his side alive.

"Sorry to let u down today reds! Thanks for the incredible support [sic]," the Dutchman said afterwards, taking to social media to address fans directly.

Zirkzee has had a rollercoaster relationship with United supporters since arriving at the club from Bologna last summer. He scored the winning goal, ironically against Fulham, on his Premier League debut back in August, but then struggled to follow up that fantastic start.

Zirkzee was devastated to miss the decisive penalty / Carl Recine/GettyImages

An impressive brace eventually came as United thrashed Everton in Ruben Amorim's first domestic home game after being appointed successor to Erik ten Hag. But only four weeks later he was booed by the Old Trafford crowd upon being withdrawn in the first half in a defeat to Newcastle.

Since that rock bottom moment, there is a sense that Zirkzee is finding his feet in a United shirt.

Not suited to leading the line as a 'number nine', despite his physical stature suggesting that's what he ought to be good at, the 23-year-old has started each of the club’s last four games as one half of the double 'number 10' that is a feature of Amorim's system.

The team is still struggling overall, but there are signs of promise in Zirkzee's individual performances, with that slightly deeper role a better fit for his technical profile.