Man United picked up a much-needed 4-1 win against Wolves, with the victory seeing the Red Devils climb from 12th to 6th spot in the Premier League. This has helped them rejoin the race for Champions League qualification this season, something that many would not have expected.
They are looking to improve from last season and are already on a good path as they are averaging 1.67 points per game compared to last season’s 1.1 points per game.
Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens were two of the players who were signed in the summer, and Paul Parker has been very impressed with both of them since their arrival.
In an interview with MyBettingSites.co.uk, Parker has praised both players for their influence on the pitch this season.
Cunha reminds me of Man Utd great
Cunha has only scored one goal this season, whilst he picked up his first assist yesterday against Wolves. Despite the low number of goal contributions, Parker has been very impressed with the Brazilian this season.
Speaking about the summer signing, Parker said: “Cunha has done very well. He is very unselfish in everything he does. He never stops running, and sometimes he might even do too much, but that is just the way he is.”
“His teammates need him and the team needs a player like him, because he gets the other people going. It affects his teammates a lot when he is not playing, so I really think he is important to the team.”
Parker went on to compare Cunha to South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung, who played more than 200 matches for Man United. Former boss Sir Alex Ferguson has previously mentioned him as one of the most underrated players at the club.
Comparing the two players, Parker said: “His (Cunha’s) attitude is great and he never gives up. Man United haven’t had a player like him for a long, long time. He is a bit like Park in a way, but quicker. He has made a massive difference. He did amazingly for Wolves and he was too good to be in that team.”
“But I am worried about what he thinks about his teammates, because players like him who give everything, they can be very unhappy if his teammates are not good enough. That is a big worry, because I think he is demanding a lot.”
“But in almost every other team, it would never be a worry. It is a very positive sign, but at Man United, with the players he is surrounded by, it can become an issue.”
Lammens is a massive upgrade from Onana
There were huge expectations for Andre Onana when Man United signed him from Inter, but the Cameroonian failed to impress at Old Trafford, which Parker has spoken about before. Man United have looked more comfortable at the back with Lammens in net and Parker believes the goalkeeper is a huge upgrade from Onana.
“Lammens have definitely made a big difference for Manchester United. He is a massive upgrade from Onana. He looks confident and Man United wouldn’t be where they are if they hadn’t brought him in.”
“He is communicating a lot better than Onana, and the most important thing is that he actually looks like a goalkeeper. He can actually use his hands and make saves, which should be the most important thing for a goalkeeper, but Onana couldn’t do that.
The Belgian goalkeeper is only 23 years old, which makes Parker believe Lammens has a lot of room to grow and he even calls him one of the best signings of the season.
“He is still very young, so he has a lot of room to grow as well, but I have been really surprised with the way he has come in and dominated in goal.”
“For me, he has been one of the best signings of the season, and combining that with his potential, I think Man United made the right decision by signing him and letting Onana go.”
Man United have some favourable fixtures coming up, but as the Everton and West Ham results showed, this is where they have tended to slip up. If they can manage some more consistency in these sorts of matches and if the likes of Cunha and Lammens continue to impress, then they can definitely be involved in the battle for Champions League spots come the end of the season.
