Manchester United club legend Paul Scholes is no stranger to ripping the performances and tactics of his former club. Last year he was absolutely brutal towards then Manager Louis van Gaal, persistently pointing out how dull and drab they were to watch. As a player, Paul Scholes usually said little to nothing of interest when a microphone was in his face.
In his post-playing career, he’s been consistently candid in pointing out the foibles of his former club. This time he went after two defenders, Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind.
Both players have been hailed as substantial success stories under first year Manager Jose Mourinho. There has even been talk of Valencia being in the conversation for August player of the month honors.
Scholes doesn’t believe the pair even deserve a place in the first team back line. United were favorites at home versus a Manchester City side that was sans their big gun Sergio Aguero. With the Manchester Derby being shown in 190 countries worldwide, there was a brilliant opportunity for United to send a huge message with a victory.
Instead they came up short. Lots of scapegoats in this one, with many pointing fingers at Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney, among others.
Via the Manchester Evening News
“Blind is a better defensive midfielder for United than he is a centre-back but he’s been an excellent partner for Eric Bailly so far this season, hence why Chris Smalling is not in the team at the moment yet he’s not won everybody over yet,” said Scholes.
“Why? Because he’s physically limited in the Premier League and people are expecting him to be found at some point, I suppose I still am, and against City he was found wanting against a dynamic Kevin de Bruyne.”
“I would rather see Smalling partner Bailly in the long-term.”
“As for Valencia, he’s not a right-back. He never will be, regardless of how good his form is at any one time,” added Scholes.
“But Matteo Darmian hasn’t got a sniff yet and there are different questions to ask about whether Timothy Fosu-Mensah is ready to start right there, so it’s a more difficult situation.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.