Paul Parker believes Manchester United should be cautious with their summer transfer activity – and isn’t convinced that Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa playmaker who is a rumoured target, would be the right fit for an Old Trafford role.
Grealish scored a crucial goal as he helped his team stay in the Premier League yesterday, and of course United fans are well aware of him after his fabulous goal at the Theatre of Dreams in December, but former United defender Parker is uncertain that the Midlander is capable of the step up.
“Everyone keeps talking about Jack Grealish and I really don’t see it,” Parker said exclusively on this week’s Talking Devils podcast. “I’ve not seen enough to say he will be more than a squad player. I don’t know where he would be supposed to play and I’m not sure I’ve seen him do enough.
“I hope I’m wrong if United do sign him, but he has to come for the right price. He’s not a £80m – you wouldn’t spend half of that on him. He could potentially develop into a player like that, but he isn’t there at this moment in time.”
Parker does however say Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to bolster his squad and hopes that Ed Woodward will back him in the transfer market – though he does stress that United should be wary of repeating mistakes of years gone by, when they have spent big money on players who did not live up to expectations and never seemed to fit in at United.
“If there’s an opportunity to strengthen the squad they have to take it,” Parker says. “Ole knows he needs more. He will want to go out there and get more. He does need a lot of help for the team to compete this season. I’m sure we will be linked with big names, and I’m sure Ole will want big names, but the issue will be getting the right names, and that hasn’t been in abundance since 2013. The names might have been alright but when you open the can it hasn’t been right.”
Talking Devils is brought to you in association with Classic Football Shirts. Listen to the show to get an exclusive discount code of 10%. Review the podcast and post that review to @TalkOfTheDevils on Twitter for a chance to win prizes.
