Ex-Manchester United defender Paul Parker has identified Harry Maguire as the Red Devils’ weak link ahead of their UEFA Europa League match at Athletic Club.
During an interaction with betting outlet iGaming.com, Parker was asked to share his honest thoughts on the Red Devils’ current squad. He replied (h/t Metro):
“When you look at [Manchester United] defensively, they lack pace. They lack pace in the back three and they sit far too deep, so they allow teams to come onto them. They seem content with Maguire playing as a centre-back.”
Providing additional thoughts on Maguire, the former defender added:
“He sits in the box and believes he can just keep winning headers all the time. He’s a bit old school. He would’ve been great in the 1980s and 1990s with me. He would’ve been even better in the 1970s.”
Maguire, 31, has started 25 of his 33 overall appearances for Manchester United this campaign. The former Leicester City man has found the back of the net four times, including one in his side’s 5-4 Europa League last-eight second leg win against Olympique Lyonnais.
Lambasting the rest of Manchester United’s squad, Parker concluded:
“We have to say at the top end, it’s maybe the poorest in the Premier League. The proof is there when you look at how many goals they’ve scored. You look in midfield, there isn’t great creativity. They’re relying on one person [Bruno Fernandes] to try and do something but he’s quite undependable because he’s ill-disciplined.”
Manchester United boss hails Athletic Club ace
Ahead of their Europa League semi-final first leg at Athletic Club on May 1, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim heaped praise on Nico Williams. He said at a press conference (h/t Metro):
“They are strong, intense and really aggressive in every duel. They have great players one-vs-one. Nico Williams is a special player. They have the best defence in Spain in the league. We are not scoring many goals, so it is going to be a tough match for us. They use the crowd to take the game to a different level. We are going to face a very, very strong team.”
So far this term, Williams has bagged 11 goals and laid out seven assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for Ernesto Valverde’s outfit.
On the other hand, Athletic Club are currently the best defensive side in the La Liga. They have conceded just 26 goals in 33 league matches.
alt=”Debkalpa Banerjee” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Debkalpa Banerjee
