DespiteHarry Maguire signing a fresh contract, the England international was also subject to Scholes' scrutiny. Evaluating the veteran defender's long-term suitability for an elite project, Scholes said: “Look, I think he’s been really good and he’s brought himself back from the dead really. I think he’s been sensational with what he’s done, I’m so, so pleased for him, but I’m thinking about a Manchester United team you want to win the league and the Champions League… I’m not sure you’d do that with Maguire, unless you’ve got someone like a Rio [Ferdinand] next to him then possibly, yeah.”
Comparing the 33-year-old with his Dutch defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt, Scholes noted: “If it’s one of four, you’d probably take him but I’d have De Ligt in that as one of four. I think they’re both quite similar but De Ligt is a little bit younger, a little bit quicker, so I’d probably just go for De Ligt.”
Shifting his focus to the engine room and the lack of minutes for certain individuals, he commented on Mason Mount: “I’d probably sell him and I like him, he’s a great footballer. But he’s never going to play in front of Bruno Fernandes. I’m not sure what other position he could play and he doesn’t play enough games.”
Concluding his brutal assessment, Scholes was similarly blunt regarding Manuel Ugarte’s future, stating: “I think he’ll go.” The Manchester United legend was equally decisive when discussing Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee, making it clear the forward should also be moved on to free up space in the squad.