Paul Scholes recently criticised Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim over his treatment of Kobbie Mainoo
Paul Scholes’s attack on Ruben Amorim this week is just his latest outburst aimed at a Manchester United manager. The club legend took issue with the coach’s comments about Kobbie Mainoo, who was an unused substitute in United’s draw with West Ham on Thursday.
The 20-year-old midfielder is yet to start a league game this season, having been limited to 171 minutes of action in the Premier League. However, Amorim had recently described the England international as a key player.
“I see him as a starter like the other players,” Amorim said last Friday. “I just have to make a choice and then in the end, it’s not been Kobbie. In the future, I don’t know. Again, I always think the same thing with Casemiro. [He] was not playing and then he plays. I just want to win games. I don’t care who is playing.”
Responding to Amorim’s comments on Instagram, Scholes posted: “Bulls***. The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can’t control a game of football. Hate seeing home grown players leave but it’s probably best for him now, enough is enough.”
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Scholes has since deleted his post about Mainoo. However, it is not the first time that the 51-year-old has hit out at a United boss, with Amorim’s predecessors not lasting much longer once Scholes had settled on his final verdict.
The pundit felt Erik ten Hag’s time at the club was almost up after United lost 4-0 at Crystal Palace in May 2024, though the team won the FA Cup final a few weeks later. Ten Hag was rewarded with a new deal but the Dutch coach only lasted until October before being replaced by Amorim.
“Tonight almost felt like a final nail in the coffin,” Scholes said after the Palace defeat. “There was a lack of know-how in the team, a lack of effort, going to a team like Crystal Palace, who are a good team and doing well, but Manchester United shouldn’t be going there and doing 4-0.
“I felt for a while he [Ten Hag] might get another year and work for a club that has calmed down a little by the new owners but it doesn’t feel like that now.”
Scholes had been similarly forthright during Ralf Rangnick’s spell as interim manager during the 2021/22 campaign. Rangnick was brought in with a view to taking a consultancy role at the end of the season, but chose to leave the club that summer.
Scholes summed up his thoughts about Rangnick’s reign after a draw with Southampton in February 2022: “One team have got a proper Coach, the other team has a sporting director.”
After United were knocked out of the Champions League the following month, Scholes was scathing about Rangnick’s position. “How [Ralf Rangnick] was chosen to be manager of this club for six months, I don’t know. Getting a proper coach for this team is a massive thing,” he told BT Sport.
“There is some real talent in this squad. The very first thing this club needs to do to get anywhere near winning the league again is getting in a proper coach who works for this team.”
Despite Scholes’ history of predicting when United bosses might be nearing their end, there are reasons for Amorim to be optimistic. In October, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggested Amorim, who celebrated his first anniversary at Old Trafford last month, would be judged after three years at the helm.
United have lost just one of their last eight league games. Amorim’s side start this weekend eighth in the table ahead of their clash with Wolves on Monday night.
