Paul Scholes revealed that a a Manchester United player once asked to meet him after the midfielder dished out some criticism
Paul Scholes working as a television pundit for TNT Sports
Paul Scholes agreed to meet a Manchester United player over some criticism he made(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Michael Carrick got off to a flying start at the helm of Manchester United, defeating derby rivals Manchester City 3-0 at Old Trafford. While this was a superb weekend for the club, the situation in the north west has been tense and negative in recent months.
The new year started with the departure of Ruben Amorim from his role as manager, shortly after he launched a verbal attack on the powers above him. Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer said he didn't believe the United players were giving enough on the field for Amorim, when you look at the way they played against City over the weekend.
Another person not shy of dishing out criticism to United players is former player Paul Scholes..
During the build-up to the derby, Scholes became involved in a verbal battle with United's Argentine centre-back Lisandro Martinez. Scholes and Nicky Butt branded the Erling Haaland v Martinez battle a mismatch.
Scholes winced when the match-up was addressed by him on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. Butt responded: "Haaland would pick Martinez up and run with him. You know when you see a dad at school running down the road with a little toddler?" before Scholes added: "He’d score, then throw him in the net."
United would go on to secure a famous derby victory and Haaland was kept at bay. Martinez had a superb game at the back.
Then, Martinez addressed these comments in the post-match interview. "Honestly, he [Scholes] can say whatever he wants. I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants," he said.
"To my house, wherever. I don't care. And I think, for me, I respect the relations when they want to help the club because everyone can talk on the television. But when you sit here face-to-face, no one says anything in your face.
"So, for me, I don't really care what they say. I just put the focus on my performance, the performance of the team and I give everything to this club until my last day."
This is not the first time Scholes has clashed with a current United player. There was a previous occasion where an unnamed member of the first team squad asked for a private meeting with Scholes.
Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United
Martinez isn't happy with Paul Scholes(Image: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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"Players can be a little bit touchy these days," Scholes explained on The Overlap in early 2025. "I had a player (a United player), this year, who contacted me and wasn’t happy with some of the things I’d said.
"He wanted to meet me at the training ground, and I said, 'Of course, no problem', and gave him my number but he never got back to me. I would have done it.
"If I’m saying things I believe and he wants me to explain why, it wouldn’t have been a nice conversation. But I said if they or anyone else has a problem, there’s my phone number."
Carrick's next challenge will see him take on lead leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on January 25. After the victory against City, United are in fifth place and one point adrift of Liverpool.