Joshua Zirkzee speaks on Erik ten Hag sacking as four-word Man United message sent

Joshua Zirkzee has become the latest Manchester United to speak out following Erik ten Hag's sacking.

United confirmed in a statement that the Dutchman has left his position as the club's head coach following a poor start to the season. Sunday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham proved to be the final nail in Ten Hag's coffin. United currently sit in 14th place, with just 11 points from their first nine Premier League matches.

After a number of players took to social media to send the 54-year-old a heartfelt message, Zirkzee shared a picture of himself with Ten Hag and wrote a simple message in Dutch. It translates: "Thanks for everything coach," followed by a folded hands emoji.

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Zirkzee was signed by Ten Hag in a deal worth £36.5million from Bologna in the summer. The striker made his last appearance under the Dutch against West Ham, coming on in the 79th minute for Christian Eriksen.

Captain Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund were also among the players to leave messages on social media. The Portuguese was the first player to speak out following Ten Hag's dismissal, he said: "Thanks for everything boss! I appreciate the trust and the moments we share together, I wish you all the best in the future," followed by the raising hands emoji.

"Even knowing the last period hasn't been great from all of us I hope you fans can keep with you the good things the manager has done for our club!"

Garnacho said: "Thank you for everything, boss. I will always be grateful to you for giving me the opportunity and the confidence to play for this club. It hasn’t gone as well as we wanted, but I will remember the good times we had together and I wish you all the best in the future. Thank you very much, Erik."