Paul Parker has urged Manchester United to rethink their reluctance to pursue a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma after their defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
An improved display from Ruben Amorim’s side failed to yield a positive result as the Red Devils slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
And, in the end, it was an error that cost the hosts as Altay Bayindir – picked ahead of Andre Onana – failed to deal with Declan Rice’s corner, allowing Riccardo Calafiori to head home from on the line.
Neither Bayindir nor Onana have proved reliable in net since Amorim arrived to replace Erik ten Hag last season, leading many to call for an upgrade in the summer transfer window.
United had recently been credited with interest in Donnarumma, who Paris Saint-Germain are looking to sell despite his important role in helping Luis Enrique’s side win the treble last year.
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Reports suggest that a fee of just £26m may be enough for PSG to sanction the Italian’s departure, but United are said to have baulked at Donnarumma’s wage demands and are unlikely to pursue a deal.
But former United defender Parker believes that the club should reverse tack and bring in the PSG star to provide them with a commanding prescence in between the sticks.
‘It’s a different generation, but goalkeepers in my day, it didn’t matter what club you played for, they had presence,’ Parker told Metro in association with online casinos Casino.org
‘You couldn’t just toss balls in the box, or the keeper would swallow it up. That’s the difference when you talk about Onana and Bayindir – neither of those two have that presence.
‘If United went out of got Donnarumma – or even Emi Martinez who still seems to be available – you solve that problem. They are goalkeepers with that old-fashioned 1980s presence and body shape.
‘Both of them would make an immediate difference to the defence because right now there is still that edginess when the ball goes to to the keeper. Donnarumma, in particular, gets rid of that.
Asked what other business United should look to do before the window shuts, Parker added: ‘I think a central midfield player of note, with a presence and discipline who you can work around, it would make a huge difference.’
‘There were so many positives for United
While Bayindir’s error and a lack of clinical finishing ultimately cost them a positive result, Parker insisted United should take plenty of confidence from their opening display of the season.
‘There’s getting beaten and then there’s getting beaten and United were getting severely beaten last season,’ he said.
‘So the only thing you can do with Sunday’s result is to talk about the positives, and there were so many from what you saw.
‘Collectively, there was a work rate and a purpose. They could have scored three of four goals yesterday but you can’t have everything at once.
‘To get that work rate by those 10 outfield players and you could hear it from the fans. There was more than one player who you felt could make something happen.
‘Yeah, the defeat hurts but given what happened last season, it was a massive step forward.’
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