Parris: There’s something special about this club
A bullet header from Nikita Parris was enough to confirm Manchester United Women’s 1-0 win away to Leicester on Sunday and, after breaking her league duck for the Reds, the striker says she feels at home in Marc Skinner’s squad.
Parris rose high to head home Katie Zelem’s wicked delivery, her first in the Women's Super League for United since she arrived from Arsenal in the summer.
Following the victory at the King Power Stadium, which saw the Reds make it four wins from four in the league this term – the same number as her previous employers – Parris praised the “unique” atmosphere around the United Women squad.
Parris: It's a sign of things to come
After scoring her first league goal for United Women, against Leicester, Nikita Parris says she's eager to kick on...
“It’s honestly one of the best groups of people I’ve been involved in,” she said. “They have this unique – I don’t even know how to explain it – it’s just a uniqueness when you walk into the club, in the hub, the girls are just so happy and want to stay there.
“It could be two hours after training and there’s still girls around and I’m thinking ‘are you not going to go home?’
“There’s something special about this club and they call it home, and I truly believe it is.”
The togetherness in Skinner’s squad is evident, with a Continental Cup loss to Aston Villa on penalties – in which Parris scored her first United goal – being the Reds’ only defeat in all competitions this season so far.
An England international and former WSL winner, Parris explained the importance of getting points on the board early.
“You’ve got to collate points, collate wins at this point in the season,” she explained. “You don’t want to drop points at this stage because ultimately come the end of the season, it could be an early setback that costs you at the end.
“We’ve got to continue to win games, and sometimes it’s not going to be pretty, like today, but as long as we get the win that’s the main thing.”
Report: Leicester 0 United 1
ArticleUnited Women earn a hard-fought 1-0 victory on the road.
Parris admitted that Skinner’s side didn’t hit the same performance levels against Leicester as other games this season, but believes the Reds managed the game well, nonetheless.
“[It was a] difficult game,” she said. “We didn’t take our chances when we needed to, I think we could’ve broken them down better.
“Ultimately, the girls had it under control, and as a team you’ve got to trust in the process and trust in each other.
“At times today we needed to be a bit more physical, a bit more attacking-minded but ultimately, we got the win.”