Joao Parinha reacts after Tottenham’s defeat to Fulham (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Manchester United have been suggested as a realistic option to sign Joao Parinha, who is currently on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich.
The experienced Portugal international was a star player during his time at Fulham, earning him a big move to Bayern.
However, Parinha did not perform as well as expected at the Allianz Arena and was forced to return to English football this summer on loan to Spurs.
Former Tottenham midfielder Pedro Mendes spoke about his compatriot, praising his qualities and admitting he could be an option for Man United as an upgrade over a similar styled player in Manuel Ugarte.
Manchester United are potential transfer candidates for Joao Parinha
As reported by Metro, Mendes discussed Parinha’s future in an interview with Boyle Sports, suggesting he may not stay with Spurs long-term.
“Parinha to Manchester United? Right?” he said.
“To be fair, I think Manuel Ugarte is more or less the same type of player as Parinha. (But) if they want to get his replacement, Parinha is also an option.”
“I don’t know what will happen with Casemiro, but I think[Manchester United signing Parinha]could work out.
“Joao Parinha is a typical Premier League number six, a defensive midfielder who sweeps everything in front of defenders.”
Is Joao Parinha’s style of play suitable for Manchester United?
Mendes went on to explain why Parinha has perhaps struggled to give his best performances at Bayern, and explained that that could be a problem for him at Old Trafford as well.
Ruben Amorim’s side are still a work in progress, but there is no doubt that the long-term goal is for the team to return to a dominant game in terms of possession and chance creation.
However, Mendes wasn’t sure whether Palinha would thrive in such a system, which is probably why Ugarte wasn’t given many chances under Amorim.
“If the team has a lot of possession, from my point of view, he’s a little bit out of the game,” Mendez said.
“The players around him will outshine him because, as you said, he just takes the ball, passes it, tackles the ball, passes the ball. He’s great in that role. He was great at Fulham too. He was a great player.”
“At Bayern Munich, if you have 70 or 60 percent possession in most games, you don’t have to do that kind of work.
“His strength is a bit forgotten because usually teams counter-attack or don’t have that type of possession against you.
“He has more possession of the ball and needs to be more involved in the game, but to be fair, that’s not his main focus.
“Maybe that’s why he’s struggling at the moment with Bayern and Spurs. I like what I’ve seen from him in some games this year, but it’s different to Fulham.”
