10 hours ago
5
Former Manchester United player Paul Parker has voiced concerns over Luke Shaw's "laziness" ahead of the Red Devils' clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim's players enter the match on a high note, having secured a victory in their last game, while Liverpool suffered three straight losses before the international break. However, victories for the Merseyside club have been hard to come by in recent times.
Last season, against all odds, United managed to secure a 2-2 Premier League draw and narrowly missed out on a surprising three points. Containing Liverpool's potent attack will be crucial, but Parker is apprehensive about Shaw's ability to handle Mohamed Salah, who boasts an impressive record against the Manchester side.
Parker has previously criticised the former Southampton player and fears he may struggle to keep up with the Egyptian superstar, particularly highlighting Shaw's work rate.
Speaking on The Devils' Advocate podcast, Parker said: "You look at the teams they have played against, and they can't handle pace and energy levels.
"If Liverpool play in front of them, it will be great, but I don't think they will.
"I think they will try and turn them around, especially on the left side with Luke Shaw.
"Salah is going to be looking to run in behind with and without the ball, knowing the laziness of Luke Shaw, who he will be pulling at his shirt all the time, and little things like that."
Shaw has faced criticism previously. Roy Keane was another former player to criticize him, with the Irishman claiming he'd "thrown the towel in" during the Manchester derby.
The defender has himself admitted that some of the criticism has been justified.
United's disappointing start to the campaign has been partially attributed to Amorim's unwillingness to alter his playing style and formation.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager has repeatedly insisted his philosophy isn't responsible for the poor results, with Parker arguing the players must accept responsibility.
He said: "They haven't got the discipline, trustworthy people to play for what the manager wants to do.
"You can moan and moan about his system, but at the end of the day, they want to use this word elite about these players of today, which is absolutely rubbish to be perfectly honest, but if they were that elite, they would be clever enough to go bang and do it."
English (US) ·