Forgotten Devils Can Win Back The United Fans
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Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood can still have a future at Old Trafford according to former Manchester United defender Paul Parker.
In an exclusive interview with Gambling.com, Parker feels the pair can put a couple of difficult years behind them and rebuild their careers at United.
Both players are currently out on loan; Sancho at his former club Borussia Dortmund while Greenwood is at La Liga club Getafe.
According to the leading football betting sites, United are set to miss out on a top-four finish this season, but the pair could have helped the club qualify for next season's Champions League.
Both are talented players and could help the club push for trophies in seasons to come, but will they be allowed to resurrect their careers at United?
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United paid Dortmund £73m for Sancho in the summer of 2021, but his time at United can be described as a failure.
His relationship with manager Erik ten Hag disintegrated after Sancho’s performances in training were questioned publicly by the Dutchman at the start of the season.
The door has not been closed permanently on a return for Sancho, but all parties have to be happy with any decision going forward.
Asked if he thought there was a way back for Sancho at United in the summer, Parker said the player has to change his ways before any reunion is made possible.
Parker exclusively told Gambling.com: "I don’t think the fans want him back.
"He never really ripped up the ground at United and he hasn’t done it back at Dortmund either.
"I think he is still playing Manchester City football! The Bundesliga is not a strong league.
"He couldn’t beat a man at United, he slowed the game down and (that) isn’t what Manchester United are all about, which is all about attacking with energy, pace and power and he didn’t give us that.
"The only way it's going to work, whether the manager remains at the club or not, is to conform.
"He cannot carry on doing what he’s been doing on and off the pitch, he needs to take his game to another level and adapt to a new style whether he likes it or not."
With United eight points off fourth-placed Aston Villa, UK betting sites have been pricing up candidates to replace Ten Hag.
Whether the Dutchman remains as manager or not, Sancho needs to show some remorse in order to be a part of United going forward.
Winning the fans over may take time, but Parker feels it can be achieved, if he can show he is willing to make amends.
"Things like learning to run without the ball, creating unselfish runs to create space instead of trying to do it all by himself on the ball," Parker told Gambling.com.
"He’s done a lot of things, on and off the field, so he needs to show the fans that he is willing to change when he comes back.
"He also needs to be seen as the bigger man and apologise to the team and the manager, whoever that may be."
Mason Greenwood is another conundrum that United need to solve. After a difficult couple of years, Greenwood is looking to rebuild his career at Getafe, where he is on loan until the end of the season.
Parker accepts the club are in a difficult situation with Greenwood's future, but looking at it from a football perspective, a return for the forward would make sense financially.
"From a football point of view, it would save the club fortunes," Parker told Gambling.com.
"Because he would make an instant impact. He would be, excusing Højlund, the best front player they’ve got.
"You put him on one of those sides of the pitch, the wide areas, and he could do more in 90 minutes than what anyone else has in a season and a half - it’s as simple as that.
“He would play and give everything. It’s such a difficult one."
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