While Manchester United FC currently sit on third place in the table, a point behind leaders Manchester City FC, their style of play doesn’t cease to draw criticism. Paul Parker, former England and Manchester United defender, has accused manager Louis Van Gaal of selfish management and harming the development of young players at the club.
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Two players that Parker singled out were promising young talents, Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay.
“I look at Martial and worry for him. He looks like a boy who doesn’t smile anymore. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself.”, he wrote in his column for Eurosport. [via:Goal.com]
“The form Depay is showing hasn’t just happened because he’s playing in the Premier League. That boy probably feels like a scapegoat. He’s in a country relatively close to where he’s from, but feeling a million miles away.”
He went on to harshly criticize the manager’s methods and pointing out that he’s too stubborn and needs to improve his man management.
“It has to be his way. He selfishly manages the team. And no one enjoys it. He may be a successful manager, but he must learn a even at his age a to become a good man-manager. At the moment we have to say he’s not man-managing that team. All those players he’s got are not bad players… He’s being incredibly stubborn. Any player who doesn’t conform to what he wants is chopped. He looks for a player who’s made a mistake, then drops them for the next game.”
The Ferguson Way
Parker also made comparisons between Van Gaal and legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who led the club to domestic and European glory on a regular basis during his reign, winning 38 trophies in his 26 years in charge of the club.
“Sir Alex Ferguson knew how to manage his players. As his side changed, he too had to alter his management style, He did a and that’s why he was able to drag Manchester United to the Premier League title in 2013. Did he enjoy it? No. But he did it anyway.
“When Louis van Gaal arrived at United, I thought he too would be flexible. But we now have a situation where there are a lot of discontented players and we have to question why they are playing badly.
