Paul Scholes has made his midfield ‘pick’ from three possible Manchester United signings and hit out at Ruben Amorim for the “most disappointing thing” he has done in his time at Old Trafford.
Amorim looked to be turning things around at Old Trafford through a run of three wins and two draws, but the Red Devils returned to the doldrums with a poor performance in a 1-0 defeat to Everton on Monday.
United spent over £200m on new players in the summer, mainly to bolster Amorim’s attacking options, and reports suggest their focus in the transfer market has now turned to new wing-backs and a midfielder to play alongside Bruno Fernandes.
READ MORE: Big Weekend: Chelsea v Arsenal, Tottenham, Arne Slot, Michael Keane
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson are thought to be their top three targets and Scholes has made his “pick”.
“I think all three of them are really good players,” he told Sky Sports. “Baleba is very young, but they’re all quite young, aren’t they?
“But Baleba is very young. Quality-wise, is he quite there? I think he’s almost in a Caicedo type of way.
“He’s done really well at Chelsea, don’t get me wrong, but is that the type of player Manchester United need? I’m not sure.
“Adam Wharton is, again, a really good player. Can he get around the pitch? Old Trafford’s a big pitch. It’s a really big pitch to get around, and you need to have some physicality. You need to have legs in that position.
“I’d say, going off the England form, this has surprised me more than anything is Elliot Anderson. I really liked him when he was at Newcastle, but I thought he was more of an attacking player, maybe play the 8 or 10. I don’t like saying numbers, but he looks more of an 8 or 10.
“He’s come into that role for England and looks very accomplished, very stylish. Keeps the ball really well, will pass it forward as well. I’d like to see all three of them.
“I’d probably say I’d go Wharton. I still don’t think they’re any of the Manchester United style midfield players, they’re more the style of football these days.
“I just think Wharton’s got a little bit more quality. That’s tough saying that. I think he’s got more quality than Baleba.
“Baleba’s got more legs, so that evens itself out a little bit. It’s close between Elliot Anderson and Wharton. I’d just pick Wharton.”
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd’s fresh verdict on Amorim proven by four priority transfers as ‘eleven stars face exits’
👉 Man Utd star ‘says yes’ to Euro giants as INEOS receive offer; ‘agreement expected’ for another deal
👉 Who will be the next Man Utd manager if Ruben Amorim is sacked?
The new midfield recruit looks set to push Kobbie Mainoo – who’s yet to start a Premier League game this season – further down the pecking order, and Scholes is frustrated by the England international’s lack of game time under Amorim.
He added: “Kobbie Mainoo came on the other night [against Everton], he needs games of football, it looks like he was a little bit off the pace of the night because he’s not played. You could expect that.
“One of the most disappointing things for me is Kobbie Mainoo not being involved in this Manchester United team.
“We saw how good he was 18 months, two years ago, and for some reason it’s not quite happened for him. The manager doesn’t seem to quite fancy him, but we all know the qualities he has.
“But the manager’s just for some reason preferring somebody else, and that’s something he has to deal with.
“I think he’s dealt with it quite well at this minute, but at some point, he will get frustrated.
“As I’m frustrated with watching Manchester United at times as well, and especially with Kobbie Mainoo, because home-grown talent, we don’t have many of them anymore, and we want him in our team.
“He [Amorim] possibly doesn’t trust him physically at the minute. Casemiro isn’t the most physical, but he’s streetwise. He knows the position, he’s done it for so many years in a great Real Madrid team, so he’s got that experience.
“Kobbie hasn’t quite got that experience yet. I think Kobbie, if he’s going to play, he needs to play in a midfield three, really. Manchester United don’t do that.
“They’ve got a midfield two with two 10s. So, for him to get one of those positions is something he’s got to work his way into doing now. Maybe you need two Bruno Fernandes.
“You need a Bruno Fernandes to be the playmaker, and one to be a No 10 as well. I think Kobbie Mainoo is more than capable of being that playmaker, next to a Casemiro or a [Manuel] Ugarte.
“I think he’s clever enough in possession, but for some reason the manager doesn’t seem to think he’s the answer at the minute.”
