Paul Scholes slams Man Utd’s transfer policy and questions Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Casemiro deals
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Paul Scholes has blasted the club’s scattergun recruitment, claiming Casemiro may not even be the “manager’s signing”.
The former Old Trafford and England midfielder says no one takes “responsibility” and that someone above boss Erik ten Hag may be pulling the strings.
Three deals in particular – Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Casemiro – were questioned by Scholes. But only Brazil star Casemiro was signed by Ten Hag.
Scholes said: “Sancho was a young player who Manchester United spent a lot of money on, who was unproven in the league.
“And why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go? If you looked at him last season, he didn’t look right. I didn’t think it was a great transfer window.
“Nobody at the club is taking responsibility for it. This year, Casemiro was done over two days.
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“I wonder if it was the manager’s signing. A lot of money, long contract. I think they need to put someone in charge of recruitment. Eventually, the manager will get blamed for it.”
But Scholes claims Ten Hag is doing the right thing by abandoning his disastrous early philosophy of playing out from the back, to adopt a more direct style.
He also praised Ten Hag’s bold decision to drop skipper Harry Maguire.
Scholes told The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet: “He had to leave Harry Maguire out. It was a brave decision. He’s a brave manager.
“Louis van Gaal joined Manchester United and wanted to play possession-based football, but United are not that.
“It was always about substance over style, scoring goals and making chances rather than a pretty end product.
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“The crowd get nervous when the goalkeeper tries to play a ten-yard pass, that’s not a Manchester United philosophy, that’s Barcelona or Ajax.
“After the Brentford game, he realised he didn’t have the players to play that way, he knew he had to go more direct.
“Varane, great a player as he’s been, is not a great footballer. David De Gea is not a great footballer.
“So, play to your strengths, which for United is the attacking players, and you have to admire the new manager for playing that way.
“I’ve been encouraged with what I’ve seen so far by Ten Hag. He’s changed a lot since the Brentford game.
“The simple thing was, don’t play out from the back. Get the ball forward to your best players. Get Christian Eriksen into centre midfield, a player who can get balls to the forward players.”