When Manchester United visits Everton on Sunday it will be a matchup where one specific player, Joshua Zirkzee, came very close to being in the opposite dugout, earlier this week. That’s because Everton pursued Zirkzee over a potential loan move, as a fallback option, once their potential deal for AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun fell apart. Now the Toffees only have one recognized striker on the current roster (Thierno Barry) while Zirkzee has yet to play a single minute on the young season.
Manchester United at Everton FC FYIs
Kick: Sun. Sept. 6, 2pm, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool UK
Team News: Manchester United Everton
Starting XI Predictions: Manchester United Everton
Google Result Probability: Manchester United 44% Draw 27% Everton 29%
Premier League Form, Standing: United LW, 10th, 3 pts Everton WD, 7th, 4 pts
Man United Team News
Of course, Zirkzee would not have been able to feature in this game, had that transaction occurred, because loanees can’t face their parent clubs. Despite his irrelevance, United manager Michael Carrick still maintains that Zirkzee will have some sort of role with the club this season.
“Josh is important,” Carrick said. “I think again, it’s the team, the squad, the depth, the whole season. Josh is happy here, you know, and I’ve a really good relationship with Josh.
“What he wants is to play more than he has done, and that’s good — the competition and healthy competition for places.
“We’ve got a lot of games coming up, even in the next couple of weeks. Josh can do some really, really top things, you know, and I’ve seen it myself, and I know he can do that. I’m looking forward to him doing that a little bit more often for us.”
Elsewhere Luke Shaw (hamstring tightness) and Mason Mount (unspecified ankle/foot issue) will both need to pass late fitness tests in order to feature in this match.
And of course Amad Diallo, Carlos Baleba, Tom Heaton, Manuel Ugarte and Matthjis de Ligt remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.