EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United Hero Gary Pallister Urges Players to ‘Fight’ for FA Cup

Gary Pallister knows his former club, Manchester United, faces a daunting challenge against Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday. He calls for the Red Devils to show some “fight” if they hope to lift the trophy.

Pallister, a three-time FA Cup winner under Sir Alex Ferguson in the 1990s, spent over nine years at Old Trafford when United dominated the city.

However, the past decade has seen a shift, with City recently securing their fourth consecutive domestic title while United struggled to an eighth-place finish, their lowest in the Premier League era.

Despite their league struggles, the FA Cup offers a different stage. Pallister believes Manchester United must play for their fans on Saturday.

Speaking about the upcoming match, he told Flashscore: “Taking the fact that it’s a derby out of it, this team (City) has been all-conquering. They’ve just secured the Premier League and are full of confidence. It’s a very tough game for any team in world football right now, especially for a Manchester United team that has had a difficult season. They need to show up and fight. If they fall behind, they can’t get discouraged. They need to play for the fans, the manager, and themselves. It’s a tough task.”

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A win in the cup final against their city rivals would be a significant boost for manager Erik ten Hag, who has been under pressure due to a poor league performance that included a negative goal difference.

Defensive issues have plagued United this season, and Pallister highlights the potential impact of Lisandro Martinez’s inclusion in the final squad.

“Martinez is back, which is a huge boost for them. But the question is whether he will be up to match speed. Only time will tell. There’s a lot of negativity from United fans going into this game. However, if there’s any hope, it’s from a game like the Liverpool one in the quarter-finals, where we were expected to lose but came out fighting and won. We need that same attitude. If Martinez were fully fit, it would be great. But he has only played 110 minutes since his injury. We’ve missed him a lot. Defensively, we need to be solid.”

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, speculation about Ten Hag’s future will intensify over the summer. Mauricio Pochettino, who recently left Chelsea, has been frequently linked with the Old Trafford job.

Pallister, however, believes the focus should be on strengthening the squad.

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“I have a lot of sympathy for Ten Hag with the number of injuries he’s had to deal with. We were solid last year, securing a Champions League spot, but this season we’ve had all sorts of issues with our back four. We’ve only fielded the same back four twice consecutively, which shows the struggle. Losing that kind of stability affects the whole team. I’m sure the midfielders think it doesn’t matter if they score because we’re going to concede anyway, which impacts the team’s psyche. We lack depth and need to add quality to the squad. There have been changes in the background to help with recruitment, so we’ll see what happens in the summer. We’ve made some poor signings for a lot of money, and that’s affected the club and the fans. Hopefully, with Jim Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford coming on board, we can start bringing in real quality.”

The upcoming transfer window under the new regime is crucial for United to address their defensive issues. A victory this weekend, particularly against the current holders, would provide a much-needed lift for the club and pave the way for European competition next season.

It’s an enticing prospect for a club eager for success.