Scholes blasts two senior Man Utd stars after Copenhagen ‘collapse,’ says one has ‘lost his legs’
Paul Scholes feels Bruno Fernandes lacks the leadership qualities to be Manchester United captain, while another star has ‘lost his pace.’
The Red Devils suffered a damaging 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen in the Champions League last night, despite being 2-0 up after 28 minutes.
The result leaves Man Utd bottom of their UCL group, but still only one point behind second placed Galatasaray.
They have been underwhelming in the Premier League too, picking up 18 points from 11 games so far, leaving them eighth in the table.
Pressure is beginning to mount on Erik ten Hag, who is running out of time to turn results around this season. If Man Utd lose at home to Luton Town on Saturday, the manager’s time really could be up.
Scholes, however, thinks one of the Red Devil’s biggest concerns is Fernandes.
Speaking to TNT Sports, the former England midfielder questioned both Fernandes’ leadership and his lack of help offered to young Man Utd striker Hojlund.
“I think Bruno Fernandes needs to help Hojlund a bit more,” Scholes said.
“This is a young lad who’s come over from a different country, he’s not scored a Premier League goal. He’s so young and he needs help.
“I think Fernandes needs to get as close to him as he possibly can, because half the time he’s out, all over the pitch. Play your position and help the kid out and this lad will score goals.
“He’s very young and inexperienced, but the lad can finish, we’ve seen that, it’s just a question of getting the chances.”
Hojlund scored Man Utd’s first two goals against Copenhagen, while Fernandes netted their third with a penalty to go 3-2 up in the 69th minute.
However, with Marcus Rashford receiving a red card in the first half, the 10 men were unable to hold onto their lead and ultimately lost the game.
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On their problems, Scholes added: “They’re going to play better teams than Copenhagen but I thought there was some fight in the performance.
“They’re just lacking a bit of leadership. Maybe if Casemiro was in there, things might have been different. It’s just that collapsing that’s really hurting them at the minute. Once they concede one, the second one is always coming.”
Scholes is also unhappy with the the performances of Raphael Varane. The Frenchman replaced Jonny Evans in the first half after he went off with an injury, and he ended up conceding four goals.
Varane has played just seven minutes across the Man Utd’s last three Premier League games, and the fact that 35-year-old Evans is preferred ahead of him speaks volumes.
Scholes thinks that Varane has lost some of his pace and his form is a cause for great concern.
“Slightly [surprised by the selection], especially because he brought Varane into the team – Jonny was a free transfer,” Scholes said on TNT Sports. “I think whichever centre-back he plays, I think they have to play counter-attacking football because none of them are that quick.
“Varane was quick and now, is he losing his legs a little bit? They have to rely on that pace a little bit.
“The manager emphasised how much he missed a settled back four and a holding midfielder – I still don’t think he’s got that.
“He’s had too many players that have been inconsistent and out of form so it’s very difficult for him to pick a team that is in form and that can do the job.”
As mentioned, Man Utd’s next game is against Luton at Old Trafford on Saturday. Ten Hag will hope that his team can bounce back from this latest setback with a win.
If not, serious questions will have to be asked of the manager.
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