Paul Scholes’ latest blast at Manchester United saw him take a dig at former teammate Michael Carrick. Nobody is safe from football’s harshest pundit.
The quietest man on the pitch in his playing days at Manchester United, Paul Scholes has become the loudest player off it since his retirement.
Scholes’ dig at Michael Carrick’s style of football on Instagram during the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle drew the ire of Manchester United fans.
The former midfielder wrote: “Michael has definitely got something special about him, because United have been crap last four games.”
Scholes’ post was made before United conceded the winner. It matters little. Scholes’ negativity was not appreciated and not welcome, considering his former teammate had just gone seven games unbeaten.
If there is one consolation for Carrick, it’s that Scholes has now criticised every Manchester United coach in the post-Ferguson era.
Here is a look back at Scholes’ consistent moaning through the years…
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Paul Scholes on David Moyes
Speaking in March 2014, several months into the David Moyes reign, Scholes told Sky Sports: “He doesn’t know his best team yet and they’re not performing for him and that makes it even harder for him to find it.”
Scholes described United’s 3-0 loss to City as ‘toothless’, said United should ‘expect better’ from Marouane Fellaini, and said Juan Mata would be better if he was played in his ‘right position’.
The Mirror reported later that Moyes felt that Scholes’ criticism negatively impacted him, despite the pundit’s plea for the manager to be given time.
This was Scholes’ first big television appearance as a pundit and it felt momentous to hear him criticise the team and players.
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Paul Scholes on Louis van Gaal
Louis van Gaal‘s style of football did not get everybody onside, and Paul Scholes was one of them.
He stated in 2015: “It’s a team you wouldn’t want to play against and it’s probably a team you wouldn’t want to play in either.
“There’s a lack of risk and creativity. It seems he [Van Gaal] doesn’t want players to beat men and score goals – it’s not a team I would have enjoyed playing in.
“The style is not something that Sir Alex Ferguson would have adhered to.”
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Paul Scholes on Jose Mourinho
Scholes expressed similar concerns with the brand of football deployed by Jose Mourinho during his time in charge.
He blasted: “‘It’s a team who grind out results rather than really impresses you. That’s probably what he is happy with.”
In separate comments Scholes told BBC 5Live: “He has no idea what his best team is, he has no idea what his best system is, and this is after over two years,”
“I’m sick of him moaning about what he hasn’t got, when I think he really should be concentrating on what he has got.”
Scholes also blasted record signing Paul Pogba, and took another pop at Mourinho, savagely blasting him after a draw with Valencia: “His mouth is out of control and he’s embarrassing the club.”
Mourinho rose to the bait and decided to have a pop back, rather than ignoring Scholes, who also claimed the manager “lacked class” for his celebration away at Juventus.
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Paul Scholes on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Even Paul Scholes’ former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not escape his critique.
While initially positive about the Norwegian after the Mourinho era, Scholes later pointed to Solskjaer as a weak point when comparing United to rival clubs.
“The only difference is the quality of the managers, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool have proven winners.”
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Paul Scholes on Ralf Rangnick
Scholes was bemused about the Ralf Rangnick era, and to be fair he was not the only one.
Speaking after United’s 2022 Champions League exit he commented: “How [Ralf Rangnick] was chosen to be manager of this club, I don’t know.”
He separately added: “‘Don’t get me wrong, I like the man, I think he comes across really well, but he looks like he’s lacked experience in coaching over the last five or six years, whatever it’s been.”
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Paul Scholes on Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag won two trophies during his spell as Manchester United boss, but he failed to impress Paul Scholes.
He told SuperSport: “You don’t know how they’re going to approach games, whether they are going to play on the counter-attack or sit deep or whether they’re going to try to have all the possession in the game. We’ve no idea.
“They look like an uncoached football team.”
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Paul Scholes on Ruben Amorim
The Ruben Amorim era was not an enjoyable one, and the succession of losses was like a red flag to a bull for Scholes.
Earlier this season Scholes told his podcast: “I don’t think the manager gets the club, full stop. I just don’t think he’s the right man.
“Man United is about risk and entertainment, more than anything. Having fans on the edge of their seat… I just don’t think he gets it.”
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Scholes on Michael Carrick
And the latest jibe from Scholes during the defeat to Newcastle: “Michael has definitely got something special about him, because United have been crap last four games.”
Carrick will likely be asked about the criticism at his next press conference, just don’t expect him to take the Jose Mourinho approach.
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