Ahead of tonight’s Manchester United – Arsenal Premier League clash, former Manchester United centre-back, Gary Pallister, expresses his thoughts on the incoming Red Devils’ new manager, Ralf Rangnick, and the club’s season so far.
In an interview with Compare.bet Pallister also explains the reasons he is backing Harry Maguire, Sancho’s emergence, Pochettino, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and more.
Pallister On Rangnick’s impending arrival
“I think he’s [Rangnick] got to come in there and be the man, be the enforcer, and I’m sure he will be, and he’ll bring into place the way he sees the game being played and I think they’ll all know he’s the boss.”
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“I don’t think he’s the type of manager who will be impressed just because you’ve got a great reputation – he’s looking to build a team, a team that’s going to fight for Manchester United and a team that’s going to win games for Manchester United.”
Pallister On expectations for the rest of the season
“We aren’t going to win the Champions League or the Premiership at this moment in time. The FA cup though? Yeah, on any given day the team could click, and we’ll be hoping Rangnick can get something out of the side. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but there are teams in better form so we’re not going to be favourites to lift a trophy at the moment.”
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Pallister on ‘terrific’ Maguire
“I think he’s been terrific for United since he’s arrived. I think he’s a natural leader in that dressing room and a natural captain…I think Harry is a really good centre half and it’s just a shame the Varane partnership hasn’t had the chance to bear fruit in terms of playing a number of games together. That would’ve been the first choice pairing of centre backs.”
“It’s been uncharacteristic for him – he has made a few mistakes, the same with Luke Shaw and he was our player of the year last year, in fantastic form. You look at the Euros and wonder if that’s had an impact.”
“They’ve both been in good form but until the last few weeks when it
all went pear-shaped. The side looked devoid of confidence and belief, and everybody seems dragged down by it. I would have no worries about those two in the future”
On The emergence of Jadon Sancho
“I think we’ve been waiting for those performances. Listen, I know what it’s like to go to Manchester United with that expectation, and it
can be overwhelming”
“What we’ve seen over the last few games is that belief coming back. Goals help, obviously, but he’s not taking easy options now. He’s
driving at defences, and that’s what we saw at Dortmund – he’s creative, he can score goals. It can take time to get used to the
magnitude of Old Trafford. It’s a different beast to Dortmund, and he’s still a young lad, but we can see he’s starting to get the bit
between his teeth. When he does, we can see his talent.”
Why Poch might be a good fit for the permanent role
“I’ve always liked Pochettino. I hear people say he’s never won anything, but I saw him going into Southampton, changing their style of play and really having an impact. Then he went to Spurs and created the best Tottenham team that I’ve seen for thirty years… I think for a lot of people, Pochettino does tick a lot of boxes.”
On Aaron Wan Bissaka
“Yeah, I think… you look at modern day fullbacks and you probably
would expect a bit more from Wan Bissaka.
“Wan Bissaka is good at defending one on one, not many people get past him. As a centre-half, you want your defenders to defend, but the best ones can do it both ways. I think that’s something Wan Bissaka needs to improve on. I don’t think it’s just me saying that, I think everyone who looks at it wants more from him. Maybe that’s something Rangnick can help with. Gary Neville became a really good overlapping fullback and he was a centre-half. It wasn’t natural for him but he learned how to do it through good coaching, self belief, wanting to be better, and he took that onto the football pitch. Wan Bissaka’s got loads of pace but I want him to be more positive in the final third.”
