UtdDistrict sat down exclusively with former Manchester United defender Paul Parker to discuss some of the hottest topics surrounding Rúben Amorim’s team.
Manchester United’s recent form is a rather complex task to work out. Rúben Amorim’s men have lost just one of their last nine fixtures in the competition, but dropping points against the likes of Everton and West Ham has dampened the mood.
However, there is no denying that, with United aiming for a top-six finish in the league this season, they are mostly on track.
The club are desperate to get back into European football, and with up to five Champions League spots available, they are level with the likes of Chelsea and just one point behind Crystal Palace in fourth.
A recent 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo, has helped inject a new sense of belief into the team. However, questions remain about the side’s consistency.
Following the win over Wolves on Monday evening, UtdDistrict spoke exclusively with former United defender Paul Parker about the club’s short and long-term plans.
Should United sell Fernandes in the summer?
It has been documented that Fernandes’ current contract with United contains a release clause of just over £56 million that any club outside England can activate in the summer, provided it’s done early enough.
Following his two goals and assist on Monday evening, the former England international was asked whether adding such a release clause was a mistake by United, considering the importance he holds to Amorim’s side.
Parker, speaking exclusively to UtdDistrict via the best offers on United odds, said: “No, they should take it. What do you mean? How important is he? Well, he’s 31, isn’t he? He’s 31, and you get £56 million for him?!
“You know, if you say you get more, you’re being greedy, you’re just kind of living in a silly world, you’ll take £56 million. Of course, you would for someone who’s 31, 32 by the time he leaves, or whatever. So yeah, you’ll take it. Is it because, him and Amorim are both from the same place?
“You know, is it because of that that he’s made him so focal? And at the end of the day, the club’s going to go forward. You can’t go forward that way. You need to shift it somewhere else and build… Build somewhere else, for United to become… or to get close to where they were.
“You’re never going to get there because football’s never going to allow them to get there. Football, from what we remember, we’re not going to get there anymore because the game’s too stop-start now.
“So it’s never going to flow in that fashion. You’re not going to get what you want with someone like Bruno in the way the game is now, when it’s more athletic.”
Should United move on from Maguire this summer
Elsewhere, there has been a lot of noise surrounding whether or not Harry Maguire should have his contract extended. The veteran centre-back has been integral during wins against Liverpool and others across the last few months, but injuries have started to creep into his fitness record.
When asked whether these fitness problems should be a sign that United must move on from the 32-year-old, he replied: “It makes no sense to offer him a deal, because at the end of the day, who’s offering the deal? Is it the manager, or is it because there’s someone who feels a bit sentimental?
“Sentiment will cost you, and it’s costing Manchester United now with Luke Shaw and things, but you have to move on. It was said to me about sentiment, and it hurt me, because at the end of the day, I would have accepted sentiment to stay at Manchester United longer.
“But you look at it, and common sense says no, the team’s got to go forward. When you look at young Heaven, you’d look at you’ve got [Lisandro] Martínez back now as well, then you’ve got [Matthijs] de Ligt, then you’ve got [Leny] Yoro, you’ve still got Luke Shaw still under contract and can do a job.
“No, Harry Maguire, they shouldn’t do it. Let him go off and get regular football somewhere else. If they want to go forward, they need to go forward; they can only go forward in those areas without him.
How has Heaven fared in his last two starts
Amid injuries to the likes of Maguire and De Ligt, Amorim has chosen to start 19-year-old Heaven as the central centre-back against West Ham and Wolves. Although he came off at half-time against the former, his performance on Monday evening was fantastic.
“I think he’s a lad who needs games,” Parker said when asked what he’s made of Heaven this season. “You can see there’s something about him, but there’s a little bit of edge in this sometimes because he’s not sure.
“And again, the manager puts him on, and he drags him off – let the lad play 90 minutes. So they keep taking him off, took him off in the previous game, but that might be because he had a yellow card. But every time someone gets a yellow card, you’re going to keep taking someone off? Is that what the game’s come to?
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“I mean, that’s, you know, it’s a refereeing issue or something if we’ve gone there. But still, the lad needs football. He needs to start playing football. He’s come from Arsenal, when he had his first appearance against Arsenal, he looked really good. Then he got that injury just after that game as well, and then it took him ages to get minutes and then he keeps taking him off all the time for no apparent reason.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Amorim needs to explain to everybody why does he keep doing that kind of subscribed substitution, at that given time and do when regardless of where the game is and generally in good positions, he does it. It’s scripted, totally scripted. The whole thing, it just doesn’t make any sense.”
What are Crystal Palace doing differently than United?
Oliver Glanser’s Crystal Palace set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation that’s similar to Amorim’s. However, the United head coach has been adamant that the two teams still play very different styles of football.
“When speaking on the similarities and differences between the two sides, Parker was quick to point out that a big reason why Palace look like a more structured and better side is that Glanser has been consistently playing the same players.
“What you need, really, if you’re going to get a decent back three, you need continuity,” Parker said. That’s the reason why Crystal Palace are what they are and that’s a big difference. If Amorim wants to go and do something, at the moment in time, Manchester United have to go and look at Crystal Palace.
“If it’s all about playing in England’s top division and playing a back three, Crystal Palace is your benchmark. Look what they do, look at how those players play. They’ve got a very solid defender, central one in the middle, Lacroix.
“And then they’ve got Chris Richards, who is more athletic, very strong in the air, can bully, can get to people, and reasonably quick. They’re all reasonably quick, but if they’re going to play football out competitively, it goes out through Guehi. It goes through him.
“The other two have no more than three touches. One to control, one to set, one to pass, maximum. That’s what they’ll do, they’ll look at it, and they don’t dally about.
“United play out in too many touches, don’t get the ball in the midfield quick enough. Difference is as well, there’s more fluency in Crystal Palace’s midfield, we could go on, so I’d better stop!”
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