Former midfielder Paul Scholes reckons 20-time champions lack the style required for title under manager Jose Mourinho this season; Manchester United kick off campaign against Leicester City tonight
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho (third from left) with his players during a training session as part of their pre-season tour of USA in Miami, Florida last month. Pic/Getty Images
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes said the team look unhappy and have little chance of winning this season's Premier League, warning that Jose Mourinho needs to quickly turn their fortunes around. Scholes said, "I wouldn't be happy either" playing Mourinho's pragmatic brand of football, in comments that threaten to reignite his feud with the Portuguese manager."
The former England midfielder pointed to a gulf in class — and playing styles — with Pep Guardiola's free-flowing Manchester City, who won the title 19 points ahead of their neighbours last season. United begin their campaign against Leicester City tonight. "It doesn't really look like the players enjoy... playing the way they do," Scholes said. "If I was there playing... in that style of play, I wouldn't be happy either," said Scholes. "As a manager, you want your team to entertain... That rarely happens at United these days."
ADVERTISEMENT
Paul Scholes
Scholes said Mourinho, whose sour demeanour in recent weeks has triggered speculation over his future, now finds himself in a difficult position. "If his team don't do well, if they're not playing well, they're not entertaining people, not challenging for the league, then he possibly could go, yeah," Scholes added. "But he's got great experience, he's been at top clubs. He's been in difficult positions before. He's in a difficult position now, I think, but he needs to try and find a way out of it."
He added: "It just doesn't look like United are in the right place at the minute to challenge for the league." Scholes also urged French World Cup-winner Paul Pogba, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona and is said to have a difficult relationship with Mourinho, to stay put. "What his relationship with Mourinho is like, I don't know from the outside.
"The one thing that does surprise me is Barcelona: I don't see him as a Barcelona player," said Scholes. "He's [got] a different style to them. But Paul's a really talented player. I want him to stay at United." And Scholes said United may have missed a trick in not appointing Giggs when Ferguson retired in 2013, pointing to Barcelona and Real Madrid's shrewd gambles on Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane.
"We don't seem to be brave enough in England to do that. I think United had a great chance to do that with Ryan Giggs. They didn't take it," he said. "They wanted to go down the safe route. And you'd have to say, was that the right thing to do? You're five years down the line, not really."
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
