Ruben Amorim has had mixed results since taking over at Manchester United and immediately switched to a 3-4-3 formation.
It was unknown system for many members of the team, and some have adapted to it better than others – with the winger position being particularly demanding.
Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot took these places in recent games, but Manchester United remain 13th in the Premier League table after an encouraging 2-2 draw with Liverpool following a run of four straight defeats.
The former Manchester United defender analyzes wingers
Paul Parker played as a full-back for much of his career, which included five years at Manchester United between 1991 and 1996.
He was also among England’s back five at Italia 90 and admits he is a fan of the new Amorima system.
“I like it. “I think there will be times when teams will use this system better and then it will be up to the manager to switch to four when they are defending,” he said.
“But now the players have gained confidence after the Liverpool game and this performance, playing in this system.”
Parker believes Mazraoui is a good fit as a winger. “I’m a big fan of Mazraoui and he played almost every match,” he said.
“At this point, I don’t think the team can function at its best without him in this role right now because of his athleticism, his willingness to be up and down, and his desire to never be beaten. When we talk about a five-man unit, he certainly has to be there.
Parker, however, is less confident about Dalot at winger. “It doesn’t work,” he told FFT exclusively in collaboration with Unibet.
“He doesn’t give you balance. There are some good songs, but there are also plenty of bad ones. His best game in a long time was against Liverpool because he was able to play for Trent Alexander-Arnold, and everyone knows that when you play against Liverpool, you play against him, which will make the whole team happy.
“Manchester United and Dalot took advantage of that and if there had been someone who was naturally left-footed, Manchester United would have had a lot more fun. Luke Shaw, even when fit, doesn’t look like he’s trying to play as a winger when he plays as a winger.
The perfect recruit
Parker would like Manchester United to strengthen on the left wing and has identified a player he believes will be perfect: Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.
“I would love to see Alfonso Davies play on the left wing for United because he wants to rise and fall,” he said.
“It’s fine for a winger to be a defender, but generally we find that most wingers don’t want the ups and downs and aren’t interested in getting back into the game because the glory is in getting forward.”
