Quality Not There - Scholes Criticises Man Utd Transfer Strategy

Manchester United fable Paul Scholes believes nan nine messed up severely pinch their summertime transportation strategy and deficiency nan "quality" needed to fresh head Ruben Amorim's arguable 3-4-3 system.

The Old Trafford broadside person made their poorest commencement to a convention play since 1992-93 pinch 4 points from nan opening 4 games.

United's soul study concluded they would get greater betterment for their finance if they targeted nan guardant positions complete nan summer.

But contempt spending £200m connected Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, truthful acold they person only scored 4 Premier League goals - 2 of which were ain goals.

Despite nan increasing outer unease astir Amorim, not helped by United's 3-0 derby conclusion by Manchester City connected Sunday, elder officials stay afloat supportive of nan Portuguese.

As was nan lawsuit aft past month's daze Carabao Cup exit astatine League Two Grimsby, they stay convinced Amorim is nan correct man to reconstruct nan club's fortunes and for illustration to look astatine nan semipermanent image alternatively than beryllium swayed by existent results.

But Scholes fears nan issues are heavy rooted and will not beryllium easy solved.

"I don't deliberation nan value is there," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Whatever 2 retired of nan 4 aliases 5 they person sewage successful [midfield] - Casemiro, Bruno [Fernandes], [Kobbie] Mainoo - immoderate operation he seems to effort doesn't look to work.

"That's a large issue. I thought each summer, nan absolute privilege was a centre-midfield subordinate pinch legs, who tin play and tin power a game.

"Goalkeeper was [also] a awesome issue. Did they really request to get to nan Grimsby crippled to realise [Andre] Onana is not bully enough?

"If Manchester United were not successful nan marketplace for Gianluigi Donnarumma erstwhile he became available, that is criminal offence.

"The recruitment broadside went to bargain forwards. That did request addressing but did it request 3 of them? I'm not judge it did."

With Chelsea visiting Old Trafford connected Saturday, a travel to Brentford - wherever United person conceded 4 times connected each of their past 2 visits - and encounters pinch Sunderland and past Liverpool astatine Anfield follow, making nan chances of a important upturn successful fortunes successful nan short-term unlikely.

Scholes is not unsocial successful believing United person nary chance of reversing their fortunes unless Amorim changes his style, pinch all-time starring scorer Wayne Rooney believing his aged broadside person "got worse" nether nan Portuguese, who replaced nan sacked Erik 10 Hag past November.

"He cannot transportation connected playing this way, he conscionable can't," said Scholes, who won 11 Premier League titles and nan Champions League doubly successful a 20-year profession pinch nan club.

"At immoderate constituent location has to beryllium a infinitesimal wherever he thinks, 'I person to alteration thing because what I americium doing now is not moving and I americium not getting results'. The impervious is there.

"I for illustration Amorim, pinch everything he says, he seems to beryllium a likeable man. But unluckily results overgarment a picture.

"At this infinitesimal successful clip it isn't bully enough. At this infinitesimal successful clip if results don't improve, performances don't really matter that much. He has to triumph immoderate games aliases nan unit is going to travel connected him massively."

Following past season's struggles, wherever United vanished 15th successful nan convention and mislaid nan Europa League last to Tottenham, Amorim worked difficult successful nan summertime trying to create a harmonious dressing room culture.

While location are immoderate wrong nan United dressing room who are thought to beryllium uneasy astir nan 40-year-old's refusal to alteration his tactics, location is nary motion of wide discontent arsenic yet.

The optimism astir Amorim is not confined to nan Old Trafford boardroom.

João Noronha Lopes, favourite to triumph nan Benfica statesmanlike predetermination connected 25 October, is thought to beryllium keen connected bringing him backmost to nan nine wherever he made his sanction arsenic a player, making 154 appearances crossed six seasons.

Lopes was astatine Etihad Stadium for Sunday's derby, wherever he was accompanied by Pedro Ferreira and Nuno Gomes, nan erstwhile Portugal and Benfica forward, who is 1 of Amorim's closest friends.

Speaking to Portuguese media earlier nan group near for Manchester, Gomes said astir nan imaginable of hiring him.

"I can't reply that question," he said. "Ruben Amorim is nan coach of Manchester United.

"But 1 point I do know, Ruben Amorim will beryllium nan coach of Benfica 1 day."