With Beth Mead returning and Chloe Kelly on fire, is there space in the England women's squad for Man Utd's forgotten Lioness, Nikita Parris?

After finding game time hard to come by in her one season with Arsenal, playing for less than 600 minutes in the Women's Super League, Parris joined United in the summer of 2022 and became much more of a fixture in a starting XI on her return to the north-west of England.

Featuring in 21 of the Red Devils' 22 league games, and only four times as a substitute, Parris was a regular as the club achieved its highest ever finish in the WSL. She played a key role in United's run to the FA Cup final, too, scoring four goals in four games.

Parris’ form towards the end of the 2022-23 season was particularly impressive, so much so that it looked like she would sneak into England’s Women’s World Cup squad despite huge competition in the attacking areas.

In the end, Sarina Wiegman opted for others to fill those roles, but Parris will be giving her food for thought with her form at the start of this season. Sunday might’ve brought with it her first goals of the season, but the 29-year-old has been lively at the beginning of this new campaign, one she kicked-off by assisting Rachel Williams’ dramatic and important winner at Aston Villa on the opening weekend.

There are a lot of players in the England player pool that are in good form, so what is it that makes Parris stand out? Well, there’s not really anyone quite like the United star that Wiegman can otherwise call upon.

Capable of playing out wide or as a No.9, and having occupied both roles already in the early weeks of this season, Parris is versatile and has the understanding of what players in those positions want. If she’s operating out wide, she knows what kind of ball the striker wants. If she’s in the middle, she recognises where the winger is going to deliver their pass. That know-how of the centre-forward role also means Parris can be a goal-threat no matter the position she is in.

Her playing style is different, too. There are not many in the country that will work quite as hard as the 29-year-old, making her a real asset in a high press, and as she nears her 30th birthday, she is more than capable of using her experience to help her team.

Excellent at winning fouls in good areas, something aided by her wonderful dribbling ability, Parris is streetwise in a footballing sense, knowing how to run a clock down or slow a game down if the team needs it. And on top of it all, she’s a wonderful character who is a welcome addition to any dressing room.

Wiegman knows all about Parris’ infectious personality and valuable experience, and we saw that during the 2022 European Championship. The forward only made two substitute appearances for England in that tournament, introduced in the 117th minute in the quarter-final against Spain and in the 120th minute in the final against Germany. When she came on in both matches, the Lionesses were 2-1 up and looking to see out a result, so Wiegman turned to a player who could get on the ball, carry the team up the pitch and then use her experience to get her country over the line. Parris would have, of course, craved a bigger role, but the way she was used was a compliment.

Opportunities to back up her contributions to that continental triumph have been few and far between, though. Parris started two games in the latter stages of 2022, against Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying and in a friendly with Norway that closed the year out, but the latter was her last involvement with the Lionesses.

If she can maintain the form she’s currently showing with Manchester United, could she get another chance?

One of the problems that Parris can’t really control is the competition in those forward areas – and almost all of those battling for a spot are playing well. Rachel Daly, Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Lauren James and Jess Park were picked to fill out the attacking positions in Wiegman’s latest squad, and Park is the only one who is not a regular starter right now, though she has shown bright sparks on her return to Manchester City after spending last season on loan at Everton.

Then there are those who haven’t been called up for England’s double-header against Belgium this month. Katie Robinson has been a favourite of Wiegman’s for her classic wide play and creativity, but the youngster is with the Under-23s for this international break; Ebony Salmon is starting to settle at Aston Villa as she tries to force her way back into the picture; and Beth Mead is back to fitness now after an ACL injury and will surely be in contention for the Lionesses’ final squad of the year, in November.

Parris looks sharp, but so do many others.

Another factor that Parris can’t control is a relative lack of rotation under Wiegman and how that is going to be exaggerated by the new UEFA Women’s Nations League. The Dutch coach likes consistency and rhythm in her team, and that’s why she didn’t make a single change to her starting XI throughout the entirety of England’s triumphant Euros campaign.

It’s understandable in some ways, especially as international managers don’t get much time or many games to build those on-pitch relationships between players at different clubs. But in the past, it was more likely to see a bit of rotation and more opportunities given to players looking to push their way into the starting XI when England had more friendlies and qualifiers against lower-ranked nations on their schedule.

The Nations League changes that completely. Every game is crucial if the Lionesses want to lift the competition’s trophy and, at the same time, secure Great Britain a spot in the Olympic women’s football tournament next year. That’s particularly the case after England suffered defeat to the Netherlands in their second group-stage game. How much is Wiegman now going to chop and change and experiment given what is at stake?

All Parris can control, then, is her own form. All she can do is keep impressing, keep playing well for United and keep contributing to as many goals as possible to catch Wiegman’s eye.

With the club having suffered elimination from the Women’s Champions League earlier this month, there are suddenly fewer games on their schedule and lots of attacking options competing to play in them. Parris might’ve had a fast start in the WSL, but she was an unused sub in both European games as other players got the nod in the line-up and from the bench. Head coach Marc Skinner will be less focused on rotating between weekend and midweek games now, and all of those forwards come more firmly into contention for every fixture.

Players so often like to say that if they do what they need to at club level, then the rest will take care of itself. They can only control what they can control. If Parris can keep up this great form and stave off competition for her place at United, then she’ll certainly catch Wiegman’s eye.

Whether it’ll be enough to put herself back in the England picture, only time will tell, but her club will certainly be pleased with how she’s doing right now, that is for sure.