Paul Scholes is revered as something of a demi-god by those of a Manchester United persuasion, so it’s no surprise that his new column writing for Paddy Power is causing something of a stir.
Just like he did with his regularly ill-timed tackles, Scholes takes no prisoners and if it’s straight-talking you’re looking for, then you can check out what he has to say here.
Here are some of the best bits…
On Wayne Rooney: “He’s got a brilliant scoring record for his country with 38 goals in 89 internationals, but he’s played in eight World Cup games without a goal. Wayne was in the Everton team at 16 years of age, in 2003. Since then he’s played at Euro 2004, two World Cups, Premier League, and Champions League every year at United.”
“There’s a chance he’s worn out. Wayne’s peak may have been a lot younger than what we’d expect of footballers traditionally. Age 28 or 29 has been the normal ‘peak’. With Wayne, it could have been when he scored 27 league goals in 2011/2012 when he was 26.
“I’m not saying Wayne needs to be dropped but if form doesn’t get up to scratch in the warm-ups, or in the first game of the World Cup, it’ll be interesting to see if the England management team has the balls to make that decision. We have quality forwards in the squad this time. That should give Wayne the competition he needs to spur him on a little more.”
On Ed Woodward: “He has an awful lot to prove this time that he’s good enough at his job. He has to bring the players in that the new manager wants. It’s obvious that last year he didn’t manage to do that. If he doesn’t, we are not going to get anywhere near the top.”
On Louis van Gaal: “He’s been at the biggest clubs in the world but he has a major job on his hands at Man United. It’s a massive task and there’s a big gap to fill to catch Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool next season. United are a long way behind. If Van Gaal gets them to the Champions League, it’ll be a start.”
On United transfer targets: “The first player I’d bring in is Toni Kroos. He’s a top-class central midfield player but United need five or six to get anywhere near the top of the Premier League again.
Fascinating stuff from the man they called the Ginger Magician and we look forward to more no-nonsense columns in the future.
