Manchester United have so far signed Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko this summer
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim has received strong backing from Man United this summer
(Image: PA)
Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has suggested that securing a spot in the Conference League would be a step forward for the club next season, and this could be achieved with the help of 'superstar' forward Benjamin Sesko.
Sesko, a Slovenian international, finalised his move from RB Leipzig on Saturday in a deal potentially worth up to £73.7million. This continues United's summer recruitment drive, following the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
However, Parker, who clinched two Premier League titles and the 1994 FA Cup with United, believes that expectations must be realistically set as Ruben Amorim strives to elevate his team back up the table after their worst top-flight campaign in 51 years.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Parker said: "Manchester United's season this season, you have got to say, will be better than the previous one – it has to be or they will be relegated. It is a simple as that. It is not about getting back into the Champions League, it is more about just a European spot."
"Everyone will be saying, 'oh, United have to be better than the Conference League' – but why have they? United finished 15th last season. If at the end of the season, they are in the Conference League, then that would be a step forward and is European football."
Parker believes that 22 year old Sesko's decision to join United, despite the lack of Champions League football next season – an opportunity he could have had at Newcastle – demonstrates the enduring allure of the Reds.
"Any player with any ambition and who wants to do something big will play for Manchester United, regardless of being in any European competition or the Champions League," added Parker, who is an ambassador for Prostate Cancer UK, the nation's leading men's health charity.
"When someone like Sesko goes to a club like Manchester United, with no European football, and scores 20 goals, then he is a superstar. Everything is going to be about him and Manchester United growing on to become what they were – and what they should be.
"Then in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, United have signed two high-energy players who run with the ball and without the ball. They are both players the manager has not got to ask to work hard. So if the manager gets his best XI out there, I am just interested to see how it is all going to work."
Prostate cancer is now the most prevalent cancer in men – and far too many men are being diagnosed late, when it is more difficult to treat. Parker's father was diagnosed with prostate cancer during the lockdown in 2020, and the former England full-back continues to support Prostate Cancer UK campaigns.
"You can tell your best mate to do it (get checked out), they will listen and bob their head, then the next couple of days they go, 'no, I won't do that because I feel alright' – but it is one of those things which can just drop down and grab you," Parker explained.
"With prostate cancer, it is earlier the better and that has been proven so many times. The earlier they can find it, then the more comfortable you can be."
One in eight men will get prostate cancer, a statistic which shortens to one in four if you are black – but it is a disease that is curable if caught early. More than 4.3 million people have used Prostate Cancer UK's online risk checker. Check your risk today at https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker.
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