Forgotten Man Utd star targets Lionesses return after World Cup heartbreak
Manchester United forward Nikita Parris is eyeing up a return to the England squad with her rejuvenated club form.
The 29-year-old relished a run of scoring eight goals in seven games across all competitions in October and November for the Red Devils. Despite her searing form, there was no room for her in Sarina Wiegman ’s Lionesses squad for the team’s crunch Nations League fixtures to culminate 2023.
Parris has had to navigate the choppy waters of being on the national team fringes of late. A month after signing for Manchester United from Arsenal in August 2022, the striker scored in England’s 2-0 victory over Austria to secure qualification for last summer’s Women’s World Cup. However, the 23-player squad travelling Down Under did not include her name.
And Parris has said that her recent flurry of form for United is an attempt to reinstate herself amongst Wiegman’s ranks.
“I always knew I had this form, but I came to a new club with a different way of playing and I had to get used to them and they had to get used to me,” Parris told the Telegraph.
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“I’m not just fighting for a place at Manchester United, I’m fighting for a place to get back into the England set-up,” she adds. “For me, that’s still on the agenda. I’m not going to give up on it.
“I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in my ability. Obviously in the England squad now there is a lot of good talent, a lot of depth, and that’s who you’re competing with and I’m happy to compete.”
Nikita Parris celebrates with teammate Jayde Riviere (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)Parris’ current form is an improvement on last year’s. With four goals in nine WSL appearances, the former Football Writers’ Association’s Women’s Footballer of the Year has already matched her tally from last year across the entire season. The United star has owed her uptick in form to the incorporation of yoga into her daily life, a habit she began after failing to be selected for the summer’s showpiece event.
“I have balance in my life now,” Parris said. “When you’re younger, you’re always hungry and you really forget about the other side – spending time with family and friends, and trying new things. For me, it was trying yoga. It’s been massively important.”
The non-selection was a difficult pill for Parris to swallow. “I felt like my performances were very good, so for me, it was harsh, but sometimes these moments happen and it has to be about ‘what can I do to bounce back, to become better?’ and ‘what can I do to make it harder to not pick me?’, and that’s what I focused on throughout the summer.”
After Parris scored her fourth goal of the league campaign (joint-ninth best in the league), United boss Marc Skinner voiced his surprise at Parris’ exclusion from the final England squad of 2023.
“[Parris] is intelligent, her movement, the way she reads the game,” he told the Mirror. “If she keeps doing that I think she will be very proud of what she's achieving and that will be Sarina’s decision. Nikita can only do what she’s doing and put herself in a position to be noticed and the way she’s playing, she should be noticed.
“Goals can sometimes flatter performances but her performances are there too. She’s working hard for the team."
Nikita Paris is bidding to return to the England senior set-up (MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)Parris lauded the freedom to roam into spaces she is afforded under Skinner’s management, while underscoring the importance of having to hone a resilience in a squad teeming with attacking talent.
“I’ve found it very freeing,” Parris said of Skinner. “He’s not so stiff on patterns of play and wingers being so wide. He always talks about me as an individual getting on the ball and showcasing my talents, being ruthless in both boxes. He’s really challenged me. That’s what I’ve been able to develop here at Manchester United: getting into positions where I’m most effective.”
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She added: “Obviously there have been times when he hasn’t played me and I’ve really had to fight and understand what he wants and, whether I liked it or I didn’t, it has helped me. It’s improved my mindset.”
United have struggled to replicate their unprecedented success last season. Draws to bottom-half Leicester and Brighton and a shock loss to Liverpool has left Skinner's side seven points off the pace of league leaders Chelsea. They return to action when they host Newcastle United in the FA Cup before travelling to Chelsea for a heavyweight league clash.
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