Krishnan Sreekumar
Paul Parker believes Diego Simeone’s demands may be “too much” for Manchester United
Speaking to bettingexpert (h/t Mirror), former Manchester United star Paul Parker said that he believes appointing Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone as the United permanent manager in the summer may prove too much for the Red Devils.
The Manchester side are widely expected to appoint a new permanent manager at the end of the season, replacing Ralf Rangnick as the boss. The German is currently in an interim role with the club.
Parker, who won the Premier League twice with United, said that Simeone’s demands would be too much for the club to handle given his drive and passion for winning. Currently, the side seems to be well behind their rival clubs in terms of winning titles.
“His demands would be too much for the club, because he wants to win things. He doesn’t want to go to Manchester United and just go through a process of what everyone else is.”
United recently faced off against the Argentine boss in the Round of 16 of the Champions League, as the Manchester side came away from the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium with a 1-1 draw in the end. The two teams are set for a reunion later this month for the second leg of the tie.
“What are you going to do?”
The former Atletico Madrid player, who is now in charge of the club is well known and respected for being a coach who demands that his team play to their fullest potential and leave everything out on the field. His methods certainly have results, as he led the Rojiblancos to the La Liga title last season.
Parker claims that Simeone and his team would have high expectations from the club if they are to be approached for the permanent manager job, and United may be forced to either lie to them about what they could offer or try and stick to what they are doing.
His people and himself would ask: ‘What are you going to do to help him trying to win this league? What are you going to do differently from the previous five or six managers with this one?’ And Manchester United are either going to come up and stick to what they have been doing or they are going to lie and kid into what he’s going to do.
Simeone’s teams are characterised for playing with high energy and intensity, especially in defence, and are often found to be a physical threat to play against. It would certainly be interesting to see his style in the PL, especially if he’s on the sidelines for us.
He has been accused of ‘parking the bus‘ at times, but those who have seen us play under Jose Mourinho or even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would tell you that the club isn’t the attacking threat it once was under Sir Alex Ferguson anyway. We are honestly in no real position to scoff at Simeone’s tactics – something that has seen him bring in success at Atletico and challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona for titles.
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As much as it hurts, Parker is right in claiming that our club cannot guarantee wins to Simeone. We have been trophyless since 2017, and our form has been inconsistent when it matters most. An elite manager like the Atletico boss would prefer a team that he believes can cater to his demands.
The hunt is still on for a new permanent manager at Old Trafford in the summer, and lots of interesting names have been linked to the job. The fact that we have seen elite bosses like Simeone be touted to be the next head coach at United is encouraging news for fans, knowing that the club hierarchy is trying to make sure the appointment is perfect.
