Paul Parker isn’t convinced by Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United

Manchester United great Paul Parker has shared his thoughts on Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt in this exclusive interview with AceOdds.com.

United have improved significantly compared to last season, but being one of the biggest clubs in world football means they are never short of outside opinions. One voice that always carries weight is that of former right-back Paul Parker.

We spoke to him about two players in particular: Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch duo operates in very different positions and finds itself in very different situations at United.

Zirkzee has struggled to make an impact since his arrival, while de Ligt has stood out for all the right reasons, quickly establishing himself as a key figure in the side.

Zirkzee will never make a difference for Manchester United

Parker makes it very clear that he thinks there is a significant gap between Zirkzee and Sesko, while he claims that the Dutch striker is most likely looking to secure a move away on a loan deal in January.

“He is nowhere near the level of Sesko, who is very unselfish and makes all the right runs, and we also see now how big of a gap there is between the two of them. Zirkzee is just miles away from what is expected when you play at Man United.”

“It`s quite ironic actually, that Zirkzee is now playing more because Sesko is injured, but I think Zirkzee would rather want Sesko to be ready and play ahead of him, so he can get his loan move away in January. He might miss out on it now because of Sesko`s injury.”

Parker continues by saying that he can`t imagine Zirkzee ever making a difference for Manchester United.

“I don`t like what I am seeing from Zirkzee at all. Everything about him is trying to be flashy and it just doesn`t work. He has to be frustrated, because nothing works out for him. He looks like he is frustrated, and I totally get it, but at the end of the day it is his own fault.”

“I am wondering at times what they actually saw in Zirkzee. Fair enough, he is alright on the ball and his touch is decent, but he is just not going to make a difference for Man United ever.”

Zirkzee will hope to feature for the Red Devils against Bournemouth on Monday Night Football, and he’s currently priced at 7/4 to get on the scoresheet. If you fancy backing him, you can use our bet365 bonus code to do so.

de Ligt is one of the best defenders in the league

On the other hand, Parker has been very impressed with the Dutch defender de Ligt, whom he calls one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

“I think de Ligt has matured a lot since arriving at Man United, and I consider him to be one of the best defenders in the Premier League. He is good when playing in the middle as he can lead, dictate and communicate very well.”

“De Ligt can do everything. He is good on the ball, he is a big guy who likes to take on challenges and he is very brave. But he is also very controlled, and he doesn`t get caught out of position a lot.”

The former England international finishes off by saying that he doesn’t understand why fans or pundits are urging Ruben Amorim to play Harry Maguire more.

“He is way different from Maguire. De Ligt is structured and can make people follow him, but he does it in a natural way. He is not screaming and waving his arms at people. He takes responsibility.”

“He is always trying to do the right thing, and he is really leading in the right way. Man United haven`t had a player like him for many years. After the Everton game I heard people saying that Man United miss Maguire, and I was just thinking to myself… That tells me that people don`t want to improve. What are they thinking?”

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