Rob DaviesOne of the shocks of the January transfer window came when Ethan Laird was recalled from his loan at Swansea and promptly dispatched to Bournemouth for the rest of the campaign.
Laird began the season particularly well with his pace and potential clear for all to see, but something changed during the campaign and the wing back’s lung busting runs down the right had slowed as defenders began to anticipate his movement.
His last relatively strong performance in a Swans shirt ironically came against Bournemouth when he was denied a clear penalty after being scythed down inside the box – the story of his time at the Swansea.com Stadium.
And whilst many were sad to see him leave prematurely it’s clear upon reflection that the Swans came out the better landing Cyrus Christie on loan from Fulham until the end of the season.
Whilst one player certainly wouldn’t have made a difference on Tuesday night, the team clearly missed a player of Christie’s quality along with his vast experience and composure in defence.
The loanee has already scored two goals in his two months at the club and Russell Martin would desperately like to keep him when his contract expires at Fulham this summer.
Whether that will materialise will come down to whether the funding required is conducive to the club’s budgets.
What is for sure however is that United dropped a clanger in swapping Laird for the promotion chasing Cherries who maybe on paper looked a better prospect for his development than Swansea.
He’s made just two substitute appearances and was omitted from the squad altogether earlier this week.
“He just wasn’t in the squad,” Parker told the Bournemouth Echo.
“I just feel that he needs work
“He needs a bit more work really to get to the levels of what we ask of our full-backs, to get to the level for him to perform at his optimum and us to all see the best Ethan Laird.
“So that was a decision I made, for him to do that.”
Where Laird’s career will go from here is anybody’s guess, although perhaps Manchester United will think twice about making a mid season change for their loanees in future?
