Lee Sharpe picks Zirkzee over Fernandes as the United star he wished he'd played with

Manchester United legend Lee Sharpe has named Joshua Zirkzee — not club captain Bruno Fernandes — as the current Red Devil he wishes he could have played alongside, citing the Dutch forward’s technical quality as the reason for his somewhat surprising choice.

“Joshua Zirkzee is one of my favourite players to watch,” Sharpe told FourFourTwo. “His ability on the ball is phenomenal: in tight areas, he’s got great feet and the ability to go past people. I’m surprised they didn’t play him a bit more or give him a chance at the weekend against Hull. It was tight and they needed goals, after all.”

When pushed on why he hadn’t gone for the more obvious answer of Fernandes, Sharpe also gave a nod to midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. “Well, I really like Kobbie Mainoo, too,” he said. “Mainoo is a top player as well.”

Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford two years ago under Erik ten Hag, making an immediate impression with a goal on the opening day of the 2024/25 season against Fulham. However, he has found consistent starts hard to come by since then. The arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko restricted him to just 26 appearances across all competitions last term, with only two goals to his name — both scored under Ruben Amorim before Michael Carrick took charge.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a departure from United this summer, with Marcus Rashford returning from loan to compete for attacking positions alongside the likes of Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu. Transfermarkt currently values Zirkzee at €20 million.

United’s squad has been significantly reshaped heading into the new campaign, with Cunha and Mbeumo among the headline additions. Carrick’s side return to Premier League action against Ipswich Town next weekend.