Man Utd news: Wonderkid given hope of more game time as Joshua Zirkzee makes apology

Manchester United are turning their attentions to the Europa League ahead of a trip to Real Sociedad in the last-16 on Thursday after the crushing disappointment of their FA Cup exit to Fulham on Sunday

Manchester United suffered another dip in their rollercoaster season under Ruben Amorim on Sunday after exiting the FA Cup on penalties at the hands of Fulham.

The Red Devils put in another sub-par display at Old Trafford as a superb finish from Bruno Fernandes wasn’t enough to put them into the quarter-finals after losing 4-3 in the shootout against Marco Silva’s men.

Amorim will now be switching his focus to the Europa League as his side prepare for a trip to Real Sociedad on Thursday night, where the Portuguese boss is hoping to avoid another embarrassing performance in a cup competition.

With United’s season now depending on their success in the Europa League, Mirror Football has rounded up the biggest stories leading up to the game.

Onana wants United stay

Manchester United’s turbulent campaign has seen a number of poor individual performances but Andre Onana has been guilty of quite a few this season.

The Cameroonian actually put in a solid display against Fulham, making a couple of smart saves from Emile Smith Rowe, but there were also a few moments of nerves and indecision.

He has made three errors leading to goals in the Premier League this term and has often come under fire from fans and pundits – and now Amorim is looking to sign another man in between the sticks to bolster the quality of his options, according to MEN.

However, Onana is still intent on staying at Old Trafford, the report says, with the player keen to honour the remaining three years left on his £120,000-a-week deal.

In 65 Premier League appearances, Onana has made four errors leading to a goal, conceding 97 times and keeping 16 clean sheets.

Amorim knows back-up Tom Heaton will likely depart on a free transfer this summer, meaning he will need at least another keeper, while No.2 Altay Bayindir could also seek an exit in a bid for more regular game time.

The 40-year-old will also need cover later this year when Onana jets off to the Africa Cup of Nations in December.

Amorim teases more Obi-Martin game time

Despite United’s overall poor performance against Fulham, one player who stood out was 17-year-old forward Chido Obi-Martin.

The team’s attack was one area that was really lacking, with Rasmus Hojlund not covering himself in glory whatsoever. But when Obi was brought into the action, he immediately looked a threat and began troubling Fulham defender Calvin Bassey.

His presence even earned praise from legendary former Premier League striker Alan Shearer, who said he was a “real handful” when he came on.

There will now be calls for Obi to earn his first start for United given the struggles of both Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee up front – which Amorim is receptive to at some point in the future.

He said: “Anything can happen in the next games, during training, we don’t have a lot of time to train but we need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically, with a lot of games, because we are going to start playing Thursday-Sunday.

“Anything can happen but I will focus just on the next game and not in that way I’m not going to change the striker. I will just choose the best players to win the next match.

“Chido is a player who has played on our U18 national team, so [he] has become even stronger. So I think we should say, in order to follow the right business procedures, that we just have to make sure that we do it the right way.”

Zirkzee makes apology after Fulham loss

If you were a Manchester United fan inside Old Trafford on Sunday, you might be demanding apologies from every player on the pitch.

Joshua Zirkzee has been one of the first players to step forward and hold his hands up after United failed to exert themselves on the game after missing a number of solid chances, while Fulham have 60 per cent of the ball in a home game.

Zirkzee played the full 120 minutes but did not impress after producing one shot – which was off target – in the whole game, before missing the decisive penalty in the shootout.

The Dutchman has now said sorry to supporters for the team’s poor display, as he posted a picture of himself next to his team-mates. He said: “Sorry to let you down today Reds.”

Zirkzee has taken the brunt for most of the criticism towards United this season after only managing to score three Premier League goals since his £35m move from Bologna.

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