Former Manchester United man Paul Parker has aimed a dig at Liverpool coach Arne Slot ahead of their Premier League meeting. The pair of bitter rivals are set to renew hostilities in the league on Sunday, with both sides competing for UEFA Champions League spots.
Parker previewed the game between the pair of giants and jokingly thanked Slot for lowering the level of the Reds for his former side to close in on them. He pointed out that Slot's side need to have a big summer in terms of player transfers to correct the anomalies from this season.
“The gap between the two clubs has certainly got closer, so thank you Mr. Slot! But even still, Liverpool haven’t dropped anywhere near as far as what Man United did. If they [Liverpool] keep going like this, then who knows? But this summer is huge for them, because they need to sell more players again. Like at Man United, you need a certain type of player to play for a club like Liverpool, because of the history and what it means", he said (via anfieldindex.com).
Arne Slot took the Premier League by storm in his first season after replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, strolling to the league title last season. He was expected to build on that success this term after spending around £400 million on new signings last summer, but things have not gone to plan.
Liverpool are currently in fourth place in the league, three points behind Manchester United ahead of their head-to-head battle. The Reds have lost ten times in the league this season and have been dragged into a race for the Champions League. They lost the reverse fixture between the sides last October, and will hope to avoid losing both games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Manchester United star hopeful of return ahead of Liverpool clash
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha is hopeful of a return to action for the Red Devils when they host Liverpool on Sunday. The Brazil international was absent for the Red Devils as they defeated Brentford earlier this week.
Red Devils boss Michael Carrick revealed in his press conference on Friday that Cunha has returned to training following a hip muscle injury. He expressed hope that the former Wolves man is able to feature against the Reds in the league clash.
"Matheus has done a little bit of work, so we're hopeful. We're not sure but we're hopeful", he said (via manutd.com).
Matheus Cunha was not missed in the game against Brentford, with goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealing the win for his side. He has scored eight goals in 30 appearances in the league since his switch to Manchester United last summer.