Hansi Flick is expecting Joshua Zirkzee to stay with Bayern Munich after talks over a move to Everton came to nothing, as reported by Kicker.
It is two weeks since the Mail reported that the Toffees had entered discussions over a move that would see the Bundesliga starlet arrive at Goodison Park on a loan-to-buy deal.
At the time, it seemed only a matter of time before Zirkzee was shaking hands with his fellow Dutchman Marcel Brands in front of the Gwladys Street End.
Flash forward to the present day however and, with about 72 hours of the transfer window remaining, it seems that Zirkzee’s arrival has gone from imminent to improbable.
Flick, Bayern’s treble-winning coach, believes that the 6ft 4ins striker will still be learning his trade at the Allianz Arena beyond February 1.
“I can only read (reports linking the striker with a move), but Joshua was in training today. And I think that he will be in training with us after the transition period (when the window closes),” said Flick.
“So there is nothing to announce.”
Serie A outfit Parma had also expressed an interest in Zirkzee, purporting to offer the former Feyenoord starlet the regular first-team football he is never going to get at Bayern, with Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller in such supreme form.
Zirkzee has played just 91 minutes of Bundesliga football this season; those heroic, match-winning cameos of 2019/20 a distant memory.
But maybe comparisons can be drawn here with a certain Phil Foden.
Rather than let one of their most talented youngsters leave on loan, Manchester City felt that the so-called ‘Stockport Iniesta’ would benefit more from training every day with world-class players such as Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva. Even if he often spent his weekends stuck on the sidelines.
With Foden now blossoming into one of City’s most influential and decisive players, it seems that patience is a virtue after all.
Zirkzee can take some inspiration from that.
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