Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has sent a message to Joshua Zirkzee after his match-winning contribution in the FA Cup third round.

The Dutchman scored the decisive penalty to knock Arsenal out of the competition after Ruben Amorim's 10 men held on to win in the shootout. It has been a difficult period for Zirkzee after being substituted inside 33 minutes during the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United at the end of 2024.

The summer signing came under fire following the encounter with the Magpies. But the United supporters rallied around the 23-year-old and he repaid their faith with an impressive cameo on Sunday.

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He has earned praise from former United captain Maguire, who offered support to the Netherlands international. Posting to his Instagram story, he said: "The smile says it all... never in doubt @zirkzee."

Speaking after the heroics of Zirkzee and goalkeeper Altay Bayandir, Ruben Amorim said: “It’s really important, not just for him but all the players. Your life as a footballer has cycles and moments. Sometimes in one week, your life can change.

“You can can see Altay. Against Tottenham, everybody was pointing the finger at him and I understand that. Today he was our hero also.

"Joshua a few weeks ago had a small problem with our fans. Today, every time he’s going on the pitch, you felt the support from the fans.

“And then he has the last penalty. Life is like that. You have to stay humbled, work every day and your time will come.”