Man Utd: Ten Hag signing is ‘nowhere near the level of Sesko’ and will ‘never make a difference’
Former Man Utd defender Paul Parker insists that Joshua Zirkzee is “nowhere near the level” of Benjamin Sesko and doubts he will “ever” come good at Old Trafford.
Only four Premier League sides scored fewer goals than the Red Devils last season with Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund – who both signed under previous boss Erik ten Hag – scoring just seven league goals between them.
Man Utd co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS spent around £200m on the signings of Bryan Mbeumo, Sesko and Matheus Cunha in order to improve their attacking output under Ruben Amorim.
That has worked to a certain extent but there are still massive question marks over Sesko, who has scored just twice this season, and Zirkzee, who has only started three Premier League matches.
And Parker insists Zirkzee is “not going to make a difference for Man United ever” with Sesko on another level to the Netherlands international.
Parker told AceOdds.com: “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.
READ: Gallagher for Mainoo at Man Utd is swapping one Bruno Fernandes backup for another
“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.
“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.”
Matthijs De Ligt’s performances have improved this season and Parker thinks the Man Utd centre-back is now “one of the best defenders in the Premier League”.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
* Report reveals reason why Arsenal ‘internally accepted’ Man Utd transfer involving ‘remarkable’ star
* Man Utd go ‘all in’ for Sunderland star as they ‘approach’ agent for Chelsea target
* Spurs told to snub Rashford but Man Utd deal would be no-brainer if Barcelona gift them opportunity
Parker added: “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.
“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?”
