Paul Scholes has claimed that Antoine Semenyo would have been ‘more suited’ for Manchester United and doesn’t seem like a Manchester City player.
Semenyo joined City on Friday, January 9, in a deal worth about £64 million and penned a five-and-a-half-year deal, which will see him stay at the Etihad Stadium through to 2031.
Several Premier League clubs expressed interest in the Ghanaian international, including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but Manchester City won the race after meeting his Bournemouth release clause.
Over the past 12 months, Semenyo has been one of the most exciting players in the Premier League and is currently third in the scoring chart this season.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes stated that City do not need Semenyo, insisting that the winger doesn’t possess the qualities required of players at the club.
“They don’t need him,” he said. “He doesn’t seem like a Man City style of player to me, do you know what I mean? He’s all about pace and power, he hasn’t got the guile and the little intricate stuff that you expect at Man City like they’ve had with David Silva or Phil Foden.
“He doesn’t seem that type of player. But you’d still love to have him; I wish we had him. He would be more suited to us. He’s been like a big fish in a small pond at Bournemouth, now he’s just a normal player at Man City. It’s a bit like what happened with Jack Grealish, who was unbelievable at Aston Villa, he was the talisman there like Semenyo was at Bournemouth.
“Now it’s going to be a little bit different for him. When you look at Man City they need a centre-half and a right-back rather than another attacker.”
Meanwhile, Semenyo has made a significant impact since joining Manchester City. The 26-year-old marked his City debut with a goal and an assist against Exeter in the FA Cup. He has picked up from there, finding the net against Newcastle United in the semi-final first leg of the Carabao Cup.
In the process, Semenyo became the first player to score in his first two games for Manchester City across all competitions since Emmanuel Adebayor in August 2009.
Manchester United icon Nicky Butt agrees with Scholes on Semenyo’s Manchester City move
Former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt shared the same opinion as Scholes on Semenyo’s move to City, with the former stating that he wasn’t needed at the club.
“He looks like a statement signing more than someone Man City need really. He wasn’t needed at City, was he? It’s not like they were desperate for that kind of player to come in,” Butt said.
Manchester United went on a spending spree in the summer, making big-money moves for players like Bryan Mbuemo, Benjamin Sesko, and Matheus Cunha. However, they are still yet to find stability on the pitch.