Paul Parker Doubts Wayne Rooney and Paul Pogba, Talks Manchester United

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has slammed Wayne Rooney as "overweight and slow" and questioned whether the 30-year-old forward deserves his place in the starting lineup. 

The one-time Red Devils full-back also pondered where new United signing Paul Pogba will fit under manager Jose Mourinho and whether the Frenchman will be able to reproduce his Juventus form at Old Trafford.

Parker said Rooney—now three goals away from joining Sir Bobby Charlton as United's most prolific goalscorer—faces a big task in 2016-17 to prove he is worth his place in the starting XI, per 888sport.com (via MailOnline's Paul McNamara):

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This is a defining season for Rooney. It's no longer about him breaking records but finishing his career at Manchester United. He needs to show his worth and that he deserves to be in the team and not just because of marketing.

As much as people appreciate what he's done over the years and how many goals he's scored football is about now and being judged on now.

If someone had only heard of Wayne Rooney but saw him now they'd think, "Who is this fella? He's overweight and slow". It looks like he can't move or shift his body quick enough.

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It is a scathing assessment from Parker of a player who netted against Bournemouth on Sunday to help his side to a 3-1 win on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Rooney has been a huge asset for United since 2004, but he did endure a poor season in 2015-16, netting only eight Premier League goals in 28 appearances, per WhoScored.com.

The former Everton man is likely to finish his career at Old Trafford, although he will reportedly not be offered an extension on his current deal to 2019 for "at least another 18 months" as United chiefs want him to "prove he is worth an increase on his £300,000-a-week wages."

David Vincent/Associated Press

Despite being the United captain, the 30-year-old has never faced more competition for a starting spot, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata all potentially able to play in his place.

Parker believes Rooney is deemed undroppable at Old Trafford but suggested Pogba's arrival could also threaten the skipper's first-team spot.

"With Paul Pogba you do wonder, when you look at his style of play for Juventus, can he play that way for Manchester United?" he said. "If he plays behind Ibrahimovic that puts Wayne Rooney in doubt and Rooney has to play—not that he deserves a place, but they have to play him. So it's a difficult situation."

While it is unlikely that Pogba will directly replace Rooney in the No. 10 role under Mourinho, it is certainly possible that the England captain could be squeezed out of the side if a 4-3-3 formation is utilised—with Ibrahimovic as the lone striker—to get the best out of the former Juve star, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:

Rooney played the end of last season under Louis van Gaal in a deeper central-midfield role, but Mourinho insisted when he came in as the Dutchman's successor earlier in the summer that he would only play his captain as a forward or attacking midfielder, per Sky Sports' Lyall Thomas.

As a result, Rooney's position in the United side could be under threat after Pogba's arrival, although Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher believes there is a system in which they could both flourish:

It is hardly a terrible problem for Mourinho to have in working out how to properly utilise two top-class players in his side.

However, if either man's place is to come under threat, it is likely to be Rooney who makes way as the veteran in the latter stages of his career, rather than 23-year-old Pogba, who is only getting better and better as he progresses toward his peak.