Man Utd legend tells club to ditch Sancho and sign Brighton star

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 30 Mar 2023 17:04 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United legend Paul Parker reckons his old club should offload Jadon Sancho this summer and sign Brighton sensation Kaoru Mitoma.

Sancho only joined Man Utd in the summer of 2021, becoming their third-most expensive signing of all time when he completed a £76.5m (€85m) move from Borussia Dortmund, but the England international has flattered to deceive during his time at Old Trafford.

In Sancho’s defence, his first season with Man Utd saw the club endure a dire campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer then Ralf Rangnick; he’s looked more like his usual self under Erik ten Hag this term – although he’s still struggled badly for consistency, and Parker feels it’s already time for the two parties to go their separate ways.

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Speaking to MyBettingSites, Parker said of Mitoma: “I really like him. He is very direct and he wants to go on the outside of his opponent, which is a rarity in today’s football. No defender wants that and he is very good at that. Mitoma would also be a very good PR signing. To see a Japanese player at Man United would be a huge story.”

Man Utd have previously tapped into their sizeable fan base in the Far East by signing the likes of Park Ji-sung in 2005 and Shinji Kagawa in 2012.

Parker continued: “I would love to see him at Man United, but then they have to offload some of their wingers and they could start with getting rid of Jadon Sancho. I would rather have Mitoma in the squad than him. He has proven himself in the Premier League and I doubt that Sancho will ever do that.”

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A breakout star

Mitoma has enjoyed a breakout season for Brighton, playing a starring role in a Seagulls team pushing for the club’s first-ever European competition.

The Japanese international, 25, has scored nine goals in all competitions this term, including a dramatic late winner against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

He was also involved for his country at last year’s World Cup, featuring in the memorable group wins over Germany and Spain.