Joshua Zirkzee has been told he has been left out of the Netherlands squad by Ronald Koeman because he simply isn’t good enough.
The 23-year-old has endured a difficult first season at Old Trafford following his summer transfer from Bologna.
United were reportedly ready to cut ties with the striker in January but the forward has worked hard to restore his reputation after he was hauled off in the first half of December’s defeat against Newcastle.
Zirkzee has certainly shown flashes of promise in recent weeks but it still hasn’t been enough to convince Koeman he is worthy of a place in his squad despite a striker shortage.
‘He wasn’t in the preliminary selection because I don’t think he’s good enough at the moment,’ Koeman explained, bluntly.
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‘Especially scanning when turning or passing often goes wrong. Yes, in principle form and fitness are always leading, but that is not always possible.
‘We have a lot of central defenders and midfielders, but we are somewhat limited up front.
‘But even then, I still think that you have to earn your selection, and I think he doesn’t deserve that now, but that could be the case again in another period.’
In fairness to Koeman, Zirkzee did little to suggest he will be missed by the Dutch in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers after another confusing performance against Arsenal on Sunday.
Gabriel and William Saliba had little difficulty in containing United’s main outlet whose display drew ire from United legend Paul Scholes.
‘Both teams are in desperate need of a striker,’ Scholes told Premier League Productions.
“Zirkzee I thought was a little bit disappointing today. I’m not sure he’s a number nine or a number ten.
“I’m not really sure what Zirkzee brings to the team. Rasmus Hojlund is obviously still having his issues but both teams are crying out for attacking players.”