Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is known for his strong takes on his former club. He does not hold back, and his strong opinions are backed up with facts.
While he was known for not wanting to talk much during his days as a player, his life as a pundit has seen him really open up and showcase his knowledge and personality. Scholes believes that midfielder Paul Pogba wants out, and that the club should grant him his wish. He also thinks it was major mistake to let striker Romelu Lukaku go without lining up a proper replacement.
“That’s the one thing that disappoints me,” the former Red Devils midfielder told talkSPORT.
“He [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer] obviously knew they were going to sell Lukaku at some point, but not to have a centre-forward lined up seems like a mistake to me.
“Whether they did, whether it dragged on too long from the club’s point of view, I don’t know.”
Another forward, Alexis Sanchez, has also moved on, joining Lukaku at Inter Milan. It’s left the position group rather thin, and potentially very thin if the injury bug bites. For a team led by a manager known as the “baby faced assassin” in his playing days, being down in personnel at this position group doesn’t gel with the formation of a potential team identity.
“They’re going into a season without a centre-forward when it’s a club that is known for its attacking style and had probably four centre-forwards in its heyday,” Scholes continued.
“So to go in there with [Marcus] Rashford and [Anthony] Martial, who you’re not quite sure if they’re left wingers or centre-forwards, we don’t know. But I’m sure it’ll get sorted.”
Manchester United vs West Ham United FYIs
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Starting XI Predictions: Man United West Ham
Kickoff: Sun Sept 22, London Stadium 2:00 pm local
Google Result Probability: Manchester United win 43%, Draw 27%, West Ham win 10%
Premier League Form Guide: Manchester United WDLDW West Ham United DWWDL
Odds via SB Nation: Manchester United win +105, Draw +270, West Ham United win +240
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.