Scholes says Man Utd will ‘never win Premier League’ with star guilty of ‘criminal’ blunder
Paul Scholes has blasted Lisandro Martinez for his ‘criminal’ mistake against Tottenham Hotspur and reiterated his desire for Manchester United to sign two new centre-backs.
Man Utd went 1-0 up against Tottenham on Saturday thanks to a 73rd-minute strike from Bryan Mbeumo, and Rodrigo Bentancur then boosted their chances of winning by getting sent off for violent conduct against Luke Shaw. However, United despicably managed to throw away the victory, conceding a Dominic Solanke goal in stoppage time.
Sandro Tonali sent a late cross into the United penalty area, and Solanke bullied Martinez to send a glancing header into the bottom corner.
The draw means it is now United’s worst start to a season in 40 years, and there are growing concerns about Michael Carrick’s job as tough tests against Atletico Madrid and Leeds are next up.
On The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Nicky Butt and Scholes analysed United’s problems.
“We could sit here and try and go, ‘It’ll get there. Michael’s doing a good job.’ But it’s just not working,” Butt said.
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“And I don’t know why they’re not physical enough. They’re not mobile enough. They’re not quick enough. They’re not aggressive.”
Scholes replied: “The three points Nicky made there. Physical, quick. They don’t look fit enough. There’s no excuse for a team not to be fit, especially after, what is it, the sixth game of the season?
“You can blame sports scientists, fitness coaches all you want, but the manager actually knows what the sports scientists are doing with people. It’s taken six games in.
“Okay, it’s going to improve a little bit, but physically, Man United look way behind where they should be now, whether they have the quality to compete with these teams anyway.
“We were in for Elliot Anderson, I believe, I don’t know. But he makes your football team better. The players they brought in, I don’t know if they make your team better.
“[Andrey] Santos, I think he started the first game at Hull; he hasn’t been seen since. Baleba, we’re waiting for now.
“We know Tielemans and Mainoo can’t play together; that’s no surprise after Saturday’s game. They’re too similar, and you need one or the other.
“Baleba came on for half an hour, and physically he looked alright. Is he going to improve the midfield quality-wise? That’s yet to be proven.”
Scholes then turned his attention to Martinez and United’s poor backline.
Man Utd ‘will not be successful’ with current centre-backs – Scholes
“And you look at the centre-halves again,” he continued. “Now this is an area the pitch that hasn’t been addressed for a few years.
“We’ve had the same centre-halves now since probably Leny Yoro and young Ayden Heaven, and we know you’re not going to be successful with them.
“We’ve said you’re never ever going to win a Premier League with them, and the goal on Saturday was a prime example.
“We know Martinez is a good footballer on the ball, he’s got a nice left foot, but for your centre-half to be bullied by Solanke… That was purely physical.
“As a centre-half, you cannot be bullied. Now, if it was Maguire on the other hand, he’d have probably dealt with it. Martinez can’t.
“It is criminal how we let them score. That goal is just beyond belief from a centre-back point of view.”
On October 6, Scholes suggested United need to sign an entire new backline if they want to be successful.
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