AS Roma’s Sporting Director has conceded that a deal for Joshua Zirkzee has become less likely following Ruben Amorim’s exit.

In the weeks leading up to the January window, the Serie A outfit have had their sights set on a move for Zirkzee in order to offer him an escape route from his Manchester United struggles.

The forward had been utilised sparingly by Amorim prior to his dismissal, particularly in the very early stages of the season.

Zirkzee wants to see if he’ll benefit from Amorim sacking(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Zirkzee was made to wait until November 24 to make his first start of 2025/2026 in an eventual defeat to Everton at home. In the 11 matches before the loss, he was an unused substitute on seven occasions, making it no surprise that he was considering a future away from Old Trafford.

Absences in the squad, whether it be due to injuries or AFCON, have paved the way for the Dutchman to feature more prominently in recent weeks; he now has three starts to his name and five substitute appearances in the top flight since the Toffees clash.

Like fellow out-of-favour teammate Kobbie Mainoo, Zirkzee will be keen to stick around and see how he can fare under Darren Fletcher and the eventual manager/caretaker manager.

Roma cool pursuit of Zirkzee amid managerial change(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Roma are aware that the 24-year-old is poised to have a change of heart, hence putting their interest on ice for now.

“He is a Manchester United centre-forward liked by many clubs, not just us,” Roma chief Ricky Massara told Sky Sports Italy, as relayed by ESPN.

“Naturally, the situation is different after this change of management. There are no contacts in progress, but I wouldn’t focus on individual names.

“We know this window is an opportunity to reinforce the squad in an area where we have struggled to convert chances into goals, so we will try to use it.”

ESPN’s report adds that United value Zirkzee at £30.5 million.