Paul Parker Article

Paul Parker

United targets over-priced

Thu Jun 25 01:26PM

Benzema

The big question this summer centres on how Manchester United should spend the money they are to get from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

£80 million is a huge amount of money but such are the inflated sums demanded once selling clubs know it is United who are interested, it is difficult to name a single player linked with a move to Old Trafford who is actually worth what he is being offered for.

Take the £40m price tag that has been slapped on Karim Benzema's head. Surely the Lyon striker cannot be worth that much? For that kind of money, you expect a proven world-class player, a must-have addition to any squad.

I haven't seen enough from Benzema, or Franck Ribery for that matter, to suggest either is that kind of player. But cut the prices being talked about - to about what both were worth two years ago - and it's a different matter.

Whether the £80m for Ronaldo comes United's way in instalments is yet to be seen, but even if it comes in one lump sum, United are under no obligation to spend it all at once.

But it's clear that United do need to spend some this summer.

Alex Ferguson may well have brought through a great crop of youngsters in 1995, but the current lot is not in the same league.

Fourteen years ago, stalwarts Mark Hughes, Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis left the club, prompting fears the boss had lost the plot and United were about to enter free-fall.

I was in the side that lost to Aston Villa on the opening day of that season, leading to the now infamous "you'll win nothing with kids" comment from Alan Hansen.

But we went on to win the Double that season, thanks in no small part to the contributions of those youngsters who went on to dominate English football for years to come.

Ferguson has always invested in youth, but I just don't think what he has at his disposal at the moment is capable of emulating the likes of Beckham, Neville, Butt, Scholes et al.

It was different back then. Players were treated differently - more was demanded from youngsters and people were not afraid of having a go at them if they did not pull their weight. There was an expectation to see them bounce back and prove people wrong if any criticism was levelled at them.

Those players were mentally tough, and it showed in how that season panned out. But the current crop don't seem to have the same mentality.

A prime example is Nani, who should be ready-made replacement on the right for Ronaldo, but he still has a lot to do - he needs to improve about 50 per cent - before he can assume his Portuguese compatriot's mantle.

He's been at United for two seasons now but has shown little sign of improvement during that time. He needs to start reminding the club of the reasons - 14 million of them - why they bought him in the first place.

On the other flank, Zoran Tosic has shown much promise, especially for Serbia in this summer's Euro U21s, but I don't think he is ready to make the step up just yet. That said, the only way he'll improve is if he is around quality players - much like the kids benefitted from Eric Cantona in 1995 - and being involved with the first team next season will only help to bring him on.

Up front, Danny Welbeck has performed in fits and starts only and you cannot hang a hat on him at that level. Likewise young Italian Federico Macheda.

However, one player who stands out from the rest of the youngsters is Fraizer Campbell. Which rather begs the question: why are United selling him?

Campbell is an old-fashioned striker - he never stops running, he knows where the goal is and he respects his team-mates. I've seen enough of him to think he deserves a chance at Old Trafford.

In my opinion, it's too early to sell him. Is he really going to improve at Hull City? I'd like to see him stay and be given a chance.

If any of the youngsters deserve a run in the first team - not just a game here and a game there, but a proper run of four or five games - it's Campbell.

  1. Might be a big question for you Parker, but we are not all Man U fans. Personally the big question for me is who will QPR sign, but not many people would want to read about that I supose.

    Any chance that one week soon you may do an article that isnt in someway about Man u????

    cansofswineFrom cansofswine on Thu Jun 25 01:39PM

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  2. perfectly true. athletico madrid put the 52 million tag on aguero jus coz united are after him. and i also have difficulty understanding why fergie is selling campbell. the kid is the best striker in the reserves & is doing pretty well for england in under-21 euro

    alvey2406From alvey2406 on Thu Jun 25 01:46PM

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  3. jeez united being held to ransom are they lol ,what about ronaldo £80million, what comes around goes around if you get over-inflated prices when selling surely you must expect to be quoted the same over-inflated prices when buying more s%$" bias from PP get a grip

    dingell1978From dingell1978 on Thu Jun 25 01:49PM

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  4. "I haven't seen enough from Benzema, or Franck Ribery"yet you are talking and judging like u know them...they are at their class of football..is either the club suites with the person,or the person suites the club....

    shazril_shaibFrom shazril_shaib on Thu Jun 25 01:51PM

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  5. 1st

    t4tariahFrom t4tariah on Thu Jun 25 01:51PM

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  6. another article about Man Utd. No surprise. But why wouldn't Campbell improve at Hull where he will get to play week in week out.

    bodgers59From bodgers59 on Thu Jun 25 01:51PM

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  7. This dude really knows what he's talking about. He's spot on, on everything!

    chris.cooper17From chris.cooper17 on Thu Jun 25 01:52PM

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  8. If Campbell could barely get a game at Spurs on loan, he certainly isn't going to get one at Utd.
    Tbh, I'd be quite happy with Berba, Rooney and Maceda used in a rotation policy.
    I think we already have someone in Rooney who can emulate Ronaldo's magic, but he needs to be played up front to demonstrate that, something which won't happen if we bring in another big name striker.

    vulcanraven01From vulcanraven01 on Thu Jun 25 01:52PM

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  9. wont post my comment

    dingell1978From dingell1978 on Thu Jun 25 01:53PM

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  10. balls
    ya POO

    dingell1978From dingell1978 on Thu Jun 25 01:54PM

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  11. 1st

    t4tariahFrom t4tariah on Thu Jun 25 01:54PM

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  12. Parker mentions Man utd again yawn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz what ever next Murphy mentioning Liverpool every article

    liamhorne007From liamhorne007 on Thu Jun 25 01:55PM

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  13. Exactly dun make the same mistake like sellin rossi..

    tidus520520From tidus520520 on Thu Jun 25 01:55PM

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  14. United targets over-priced ? Every premiershit player is over priced.

    longcigaretteFrom longcigarette on Thu Jun 25 01:55PM

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  15. parker talks about man u as he played for them for a few years, he is a talisman for the media discussing united relevance... i agree that they need to buy and buy big names mainly to keep the fans at peace for the loss of 2 big names already, but fergie will always have plans, will always have scouts working overtime to bring that right young star in or that unheard of talent, like ronaldo, before he came to man u he was a nothing, no-one had heard of him before that friendly but look at what he became, and he owes united and especially fergie for that, no manager ever or ever again will be able to wrap stars up in cotton wool like fegie has done to so many players he has had played under his reign

    atyl1972From atyl1972 on Thu Jun 25 01:57PM

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  16. A fair article. OK its about United but he does have a point.

    silverbullet_fcFrom silverbullet_fc on Thu Jun 25 01:58PM

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  17. And I thought that after ManU was snubbed by both Ronaldo and Tevez, there would be a similar article as when (only!) Kaka snubbed Chelsea.
    You belong in ManchesterSport, not Eurosport.
    By the way, what happened in the U21 game that followed your Walcott bashing. Did he play any good, really didn't follow up on that one.

    shantaram108From shantaram108 on Thu Jun 25 01:59PM

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  18. i think united also need to get a holding/defensive mid-fielder. Many people don't seem to realise that this was the cause of united's woeful defeat at Rome. I'd suggest SAF should go in for Miguel Veloso. He's young and will improve alot at OT.

    t4tariahFrom t4tariah on Thu Jun 25 01:59PM

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  19. ITS NOT WHO, OR HOW MUCH , BUT WHO WANTS TO COME LETS FACE IT YOUR IN MELTDOWN.....WHATS GOING WRONG AT OT, I,V WAITED YEARS FOR THIS......LOL

    cukkuwFrom cukkuw on Thu Jun 25 01:59PM

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  20. I was in the side that lost to Aston Villa on the opening day of that season, leading to the now infamous "you'll win nothing with kids" comment from Alan Hansen.
    What the hell did this sentence add to the purpose of the article!!!!????
    Dear parker NO ONE CARESSSSSSS just stop mentioning in each article that u played for Manutd,
    PS: its not the players who are over-priced u articles, cause they dont deserve a pound

    malekchehabFrom malekchehab on Thu Jun 25 02:00PM

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  21. I agree with parker

    shandu_93From shandu_93 on Thu Jun 25 02:02PM

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  22. what a @#$% article. Fraizer Campbell has done nothing during his loan period and during his time at man utd. Macheda on the other hand scored two vital goals. Your articles are useless and are based on mere idoiocy.

    maverickmckoyFrom maverickmckoy on Thu Jun 25 02:08PM

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  23. What is the difference with what united did to Real over Ronaldo? The fact is Benzema is one of Lyons best players and helps them get into the champions league every year, so to them he probably is worth £40m.
    United dont have a divine right to sign anyone for how much THEY think he is worth, it is down to the team he plays for.
    At the end of the day if United dont think the player is worth it dont sign him.

    danswasteFrom danswaste on Thu Jun 25 02:11PM

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  24. Your so far up Sir Alex Fergusons backside you can see Gary Neville's feet. Change the record about United please every article you attempt to right has something to do with them.

    pjones66631From pjones66631 on Thu Jun 25 02:11PM

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  25. It's not fair to inflate the prices of these players, but United have done no different. There is no possible way that Ronaldo is worth 80 million. He is worth a lot, don't get me wrong, but not that much. Basically, if Zidane wasn't, then no one is.

    juvenovicFrom juvenovic on Thu Jun 25 02:12PM

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  26. I agree with the comment on Campbell, I think he's the next Jermaine Defoe, and you can take that however you like :). I will be surprised if Hull take him on and don't use him. He was wasted at Tottenham but they had way too many senior strikers all with something to prove and none of whom actually did, except Keane on return. If United don't have a place for him (should they buy another striker) then I'd rather they loan then sell.

    tevez_unitedFrom tevez_united on Thu Jun 25 02:14PM

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  27. Players being offer to united are overpriced, benzema at 40m pounds is overpriced. Was ronaldo rightly priced at 80m pounds. dont ask parker, ask platini, ask chalton.

    papaogosFrom papaogos on Thu Jun 25 02:16PM

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  28. Parker knows like everyone who has eyes that no one can replace Ronaldo.The worst thing is that now everyone understood that Manu is a selling club.Madrid has got Ronaldo on the cheap ,and now you see that the release clause is one billion euros.That is the value of Ronaldo ,love him or hate him. No one of the great international players love to come here and that is simple because all the great players finish to Madrid.Manu will regret Leaving Ronaldo on the cheap and that is misery for us.

    kristianiusFrom kristianius on Thu Jun 25 02:23PM

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  29. come to think of it, Is C/RONALDO NOT OVER PRICED AT £80 million Mr PARKE????

    paddy20034realFrom paddy20034real on Thu Jun 25 02:26PM

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  30. Parker, lets get things straight, Fergie made a mistake for not have signed Tevez long ago, why wait until the eleventh hour, even when United fans were pleading with him, he never listened and he is used to doing so all the time.Remember,he was dancing around Barbatov signing until the last hour of transfer window last summer. He could have signed Benzima in January if he had wanted a low price and then he was worth just 18million pounds. How can you now compete with Real Madrid with their crazy buying, when they bought your Ronaldo for £80million, do you think they will stop there, no, they will sweep the summer transfer like wide fire and that fire started from Old Trafford. Sir Alex disappointed the United fans and he is learning through the hard way now, if he had value for Tevez,he would have signed him long time ago but now, that he is gone, Fergie start running around begging him to be signed, who in his shoes will fall for that when other clubs are ready to treat him well and pay him more even. I hope Fergie corrects his mistakes and drop some of his egocentric behavior. I do have respect for him as a United fan and as a person but he must some times listen to the fans. Larry Thomas

    lt5555From lt5555 on Thu Jun 25 02:27PM

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