Ruben Amorim confirms Joshua Zirkzee to miss rest of season through injury | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has confirmed striker Joshua Zirkzee will miss the rest of the season after picking up a hamstring injury against Newcastle.

Zirkzee was substituted during United’s 4-1 defeat at St James’ Park, with Amorim confirming that the Dutchman will now face an extended spell on the sidelines.

Amorim said: “Joshua is out for the season. He will not play more this season, let’s prepare him for the next one. It is tough for him especially in this moment. He is improving in all aspects and it is hard for any player to stop.”

The 23-year-old had seen an improvement in performances in recent weeks, with the injury coming at a poor time for United, who will have to rely on the misfiring Rasmus Hojlund for the rest of the campaign.

Amorim’s men are preparing for the second leg of their Europa League game against Lyon, and with the returning Andre Onana in the spotlight after his disastrous display in the 2-2 draw last week.

The Portuguese insisted he still has confidence in his goalkeeper: “Yeah, I have that feeling for sure. The team is the most important thing. I’m not putting Andre because I think Andre deserves to return to competition, I’m thinking about the game because it is really important for us.”

The Europa League now presents the only way for United to reach the Champions League, and Amorim was keen to enforce how important reaching the competition is, even if just for financial reasons.

“I think it is more about the budget. That is important when you are planning for the next season, Champions League can change everything.

“But you can see it both ways. Champions League it is tough to play against top teams on Wednesday and then at the weekend in the Premier League. If we don’t have Champions League, we have more time to build the team.”