Ruben Amorim has been urged to consider dropping wing-back Diogo Dalot when Manchester United host Brighton on Saturday.
Dalot started United’s impressive victory over Premier League champions Liverpool last week, as the Red Devils secured back-to-back league wins for the first time in Amorim’s tenure.
The Portuguese wing-back has been a regular feature in United’s starting XI so far this season, with his versatility and ability to play on both flanks a huge bonus in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
Dalot is expected to feature once again on Saturday when United look to put an end to their sorry recent record against Brighton.
The Red Devils have lost four of their last five games against Brighton, most recently a humbling 3-1 defeat at home in January last season.
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Fabian Hurzeler’s side are expected to provide a different test to Liverpool last weekend, and Paul Parker believes that Amorim needs to adapt accordingly.
And Parker believes that the ever-present Dalot should be one player who makes way to provide his former side with more energy and dynamism down in the wing-back position.
‘I’m a believer in continuity, but I just wonder if the team’s a little bit static,’ Parker told Metro via iGamingNuts. ‘Because I look at Dalot, does he go with Dalot again after his performance in that game? I would say no.
‘I saw Noussair Mazraoui sitting on the bench. I’d get Mazraoui just for his energy levels as well and the fact that he’s good defensively, he’s better defensively and he’s better when he gets in the attacking third, which would be on a more consistent basis because United are the home side so you’d expect your wing-back to be able to get forward.
‘Diallo will get forward from that position, but if it was on the other side, if you looked at Dalot, he never contributed anything at both ends of the field.
‘He was a little bit of a liability at both ends. So that’s what the manager’s got to make his mind up about what he’s going to do.’
Speaking about the threat posed by Brighton, Parker continued: ‘For me, that’s how he’s going to get something from the game, get his most athletic players out there.
‘Just to be able to have the legwork and the desire to want to run forward and back. Because of the fact that Brighton haven’t got a static midfield like Liverpool and like Arsenal.
‘The two games where they’ve played best this season have been against static midfield players that don’t run off the ball forward and running behind.
‘So, that suits Manchester United. Brighton play different. They move the ball, they’re more productive with the ball.
‘They’ve got forwards who will run in and out. They’ve got full-backs who will run forwards, so this is that this is a more difficult game than what it was against Liverpool.’
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