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The former Red Devils defender isn’t convinced that an England international is the leader Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs, but another could help
Harry Maguire is just Manchester United’s captain due to his £ 80 million ($ 102 million) price tag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should look to Chris Smalling as a solution to his middle-half dilemma, claims Paul Parker.
The Red Devils are facing increasing calls for more reinforcements to be made to their defensive unit.
The leaks at Old Trafford have yet to be fixed, despite huge amounts of money being invested in companies such as Maguire, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.
Solskjaer is being linked to a number of alleged targets, with Porto left-back Alex Telles among those said to be in his crosshairs.
Parker admits something needs to change in United’s four defenders, with the former defender arguing that Smalling should be given a second chance after returning from a loan stint at Roma, while questions should be asked about the value of Maguire despite his record. transfer fee.
“Now they are linked to Alex Telles from Porto and I have been saying that they need a left back for a long time. Luke Shaw has done his best, but his powers of recovery are not up to the mark, “Parker said. Eurosport of what happens at United.
“I also think they need a midfielder in command who can lead the defense. You have an £ 80 million player in Harry Maguire, who I think is only really captain because of his price. There needs to be someone who can organize and put everyone in the right position too, that might help too [David] of Gea too.
“You want someone like Steve Bruce, Jaap Staam or Nemanja Vidic there. Even when I think of Ronnie Johnson or Wes Brown, either of them in their prime, it would make this United defense 30-40% better if you put them in Maguire’s place.
“For me you are captain because you have something on you, not because of what it costs, especially when you were not a captain in your previous club.
“It is difficult to find someone like Virgil van Dijk, who could have played at any time, do not hesitate, but perhaps United already have the answer within their ranks? I’m not necessarily convinced of internal promotion given that so far it hasn’t worked with what they’ve tried, but if you’re going to go down that path, why don’t you give Chris Smalling a chance?
“He took a risk by going to Roma last year, but it turned out to be a great move for him and he will have come back as a better player. It has to be difficult for him to see how much they have spent on center-backs and one would have to wonder if his head is in the right place, especially since he has not been allowed to return to Roma. It’s hard for him when he listens [Gareth] Southgate says he can’t play from behind and then you look at Maguire. “
United were linked with Nathan Ake and Gabriel Magalhaes prior to their respective transfers to Manchester City and Arsenal, with Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly another long-time target as the Senegalese sparks new rounds of transfer talks in Italy.
