Ex-Manchester United defender Paul Parker fears that his former club could be dragged into a relegation dogfight.

Speaking to CryptoCasinosUK, Parker said that head coach Ruben Amorim isn’t really able to drop underperforming players and he is concerned that the situation could “get “worse and worse”:

“I could say that quite a few players need to be dropped from the Manchester United side, but who does Ruben Amorim replace them with? It’s like turning round and saying your Ferrari’s not been performing well and you want to use your other car, but that other car is a Ford Focus – you’re always going to stick with the Ferrari and hope at some point that it’s going to give you a good run.”

“That’s what Amorim is doing at the moment – he’s just hoping that the players will do something but knowing that it might not even happen for another half-dozen games. I just can’t think of anything positive to say about United at this moment in time. Everything’s just at such a low level. Unless things pick up quickly with the people who are there, it could get worse and worse. I still can’t rule out saying that Manchester United could be in a relegation battle this season – that’s how bad things have been.”

Are United actually battling against relegation?

Parker paints a bleak picture but it must be pointed out that the Red Devils remain 12 points clear of the drop zone. They would have to go on a disastrous run between now and May to be dragged into the fight at the bottom of the table.

The fact that it is even being discussed though does demonstrate how poor performances have been in the league in recent weeks.

Not much will change until the summer

Due to financial restrictions, United were not able to make as many changes to the first-team squad as they would have liked in January. It means that Amorim will have to make do with a team that doesn’t really fit his style of play.

The arrival of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce will help. His ability to play in either wingback position or even in the front three gives the manager an additional option. It is, though, just one small piece of the puzzle. A significant rebuild will be needed at the end of the season.

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here