Paul Scholes has delivered a brutal blow to Manchester United’s recruitment strategy over the past two summers.
The United legend spoke on The Overlap (quotes via The Mirror), first targeting two big money deals from 2021.
“Jadon Sancho was a young player that Manchester United spent a lot of money on, who was unproven in the league. And why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go?
Both players have been key components of Erik ten Hag’s four-match winning streak in the Premier League.
However, that has done nothing to convince Scholes that they were the right players to bring in, as he criticized the club’s decision-makers for not being accountable for such signings.
“If you looked at him last season, he didn’t look good. I didn’t think it was a great transfer window. No one at the club is taking responsibility for that.”
Scholes also had dark words for United’s deal in the latest transfer window, with the signing of Casemiro the next object of his ire.
Many observers were concerned that the Red Devils relied too much on the manager for recruitment this summer, with Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Antony joining the club straight from the Eredivisie.
The club also has a long unsuccessful transfer saga over Frenkie de Jong and signed Christian Eriksen, two more players who have worked with Ten Hag.
However, Scholes’s concern is that Casemiro was not the coach’s signing.
“This year, Casemiro was done in two days.
“I wonder if it was the signing of the coach. A lot of money, a long contract. I think they need to put someone in charge of recruiting. Eventually, the manager will be blamed for it.”
Scholes went on to suggest that Ten Hag’s ideal footballing vision is doomed to fail at Old Trafford.
“Louis van Gaal joined Manchester United and wanted to play possession-based football, but United is not that. It was always about substance over style, scoring goals and chances rather than a pretty end product.
“The crowd gets nervous when the goalkeeper tries to play a 10-metre pass, that’s not a Manchester United philosophy, that’s Barcelona or Ajax. With Erik ten Hag, he has run into him.”
He then praised the new boss for his adaptability, although the comments will not make for great reading for two of United’s stars.
“After the Brentford game, he realized he didn’t have the players to play that way, he knew he had to be more direct. Raphael Varane, however great a player he may have been, is not a great footballer.
“David De Gea is not a great footballer. So he plays to your strengths, which for United are attacking players, and you have to admire the new manager for playing that way.” 
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