Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes the club should turn to Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae to compete for a starting berth with Raphael Varane, who he has described as 'fragile'.
16.03.2023 - 19:59 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Gareth Southgate still sees Harry Maguire as one of England's best defenders after naming him in the squad for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers.
Maguire was one of three Manchester United players named in the Three Lions squad on Thursday afternoon, a week to the day before they begin their qualification campaign away against Italy.
Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford have both also been named in the squad ahead of the international break as a reward for their fine form throughout this season.
FOLLOW THE MATCH: United vs Real Betis LIVE
There is not as compelling an argument to select Maguire given his rotational role at club level this season; however, he remains a firm favourite under the England manager.
When asked about the decision to select the United captain, Southgate responded by explaining why he still picks players who do not always play for their clubs.
“It’s impossible (to stick to the philosophy of only picking players who are playing for their clubs)," he said at his press conference.
“We’ve got to pick our best players where possible and then there’s a balance between going for a certain level of player who is not playing quite as regularly or a level of player who is physically fit and doing well – not speaking about specific names here, as a general principle.
“It’s interesting talking to other coaches of national teams, and they also feel you should choose your best players as long as they are in a reasonable physical level and that’s where we are with it.
“We’d love to have that depth but we are shorter than the other nations on the depth of selection in certain positions. Those numbers are deteriorating in the Premier League.”
READ NEXT:
Pereira reveals he avoided Ten Hag to ensure he
Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes the club should turn to Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae to compete for a starting berth with Raphael Varane, who he has described as 'fragile'.
Manchester United loanee Ethan Laird played his first game in over a month when making his return from injury on Monday night. Laird, who is on loan at Queens Park Rangers, sustained a hamstring injury against Swansea in January and, although the problem was initially not thought to be serious, the player last played on February 14 due to the issue.
Injury issues are beginning to mount for Manchester United ahead of the final months of the campaign.
Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Saturday, March 25.
Here are your Saturday evening Manchester United headlines.
Manchester United and Man City both face a degree of uncertainty around their star strikers ahead of the Premier League returning.
Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamas Al Thani has submitted his second bid for Manchester United.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire believes that his form for both club and country has been positive this season, admitting that he wants to wrestle his place back at Old Trafford.
Leeds attacker Wilfried Gnonto has opened up on the feeling of scoring against Manchester United at Old Trafford after getting on the scoresheet earlier in the season.
Manchester United are planning moves for Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic during the summer window, according to reports.
Having scored twice in Manchester United's victory over Fulham in the FA Cup, Bruno Fernandes has moved past Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez in the Reds' scoring charts.
Erik ten Hag claims Harry Maguire is improving as captain at Manchester United after revealing he had become "more dominant" at Carrington.
Harry Maguire says he's not yet thought about his Manchester United future but the club captain admits it's difficult not leading his side out every week.
Harry Maguire admits he would like to start more matches for Manchester United after he impressed in their victory over Real Betis on Thursday night. United secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a comfortable victory over Real Betis across two legs.
Erik ten Hag has named his starting line-up for the second leg of Manchester United's Europa League last-16 showdown with Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium this evening, making a handful of changes.
Inter Milan will reportedly make a bid for Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof this summer.
Joaquin admission
Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson believes that Casemiro's pedigree before moving to Old Trafford stands him in good stead to become a leader at the club.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has defended Bruno Fernandes after the midfielder received heavy criticism for the way he conducted himself during Sunday's mauling at Anfield.
Manchester United fans believe Casemiro should be the next captain of the club rather than Bruno Fernandes following the latter's display with the armband against Liverpool.