Paul Scholes has never been shy with an opinion, but this was something else. On a podcast microphone rather than a TV studio, the Manchester United great sketched out what he called a looming “footballing bloodbath” at Old Trafford – and he put Nasser Mazraoui squarely in the firing line.
The timing is striking. United, under interim manager Michael Carrick, have finally found a pulse again. Third in the Premier League, Champions League football within reach, a fanbase daring to believe this might be the start of a proper rebuild.
Scholes’ message? Enjoy the upturn. Then rip it up.
Mazraoui under scrutiny
Speaking on “The Good, The Bad & The Football”, Scholes turned the spotlight on Mazraoui and questioned the Moroccan international’s place in the project.
Mazraoui’s versatility has often been sold as a strength. He has filled in across the back line, even as a right-sided centre-back when required, offering Carrick tactical options and cover. Scholes sees a problem, not a plus.
“I don’t know exactly where his position is; he has been used as a right-sided centre-back at times. I don’t think he fits the team’s current system, and perhaps it is time for him to leave to make way for more specialised options,” he said, leaving little room for ambiguity.
For Scholes, United’s resurgence will only be sustained if the club commits to a back line built on clear roles, raw power and pace. Flexibility, in his eyes, cannot come at the cost of identity. That view pushes Mazraoui towards the exit door in his ideal summer.
Defence in the dock
Mazraoui was not alone. Once Scholes started, the list grew quickly.
He wants a defence that intimidates, not improvises. That stance leads him to advocate the departure of Harry Maguire – despite the centre-back having recently renewed his contract – along with Lennie Yoro and Patrick Dorgu. Luke Shaw, a mainstay when fit, also appeared on Scholes’ chopping block, his recurring injuries cited as too big a risk for a side with title ambitions.
The message is brutal: if you cannot be relied upon physically, or you do not fit the system precisely, you are expendable.
This is not tinkering around the edges. It is a call for a structural reset of United’s back line at a time when results suggest the club is finally stabilising.
Eight on the chopping block
Scholes did not stop at the defence. His critique cut right through the squad.
He outlined a group of players he believes fall short of the standard required to push for the Premier League and Champions League trophies that still define United’s expectations.
The names are stark:
- Nasser Mazraoui
- Harry Maguire
- Lennie Yoro
- Patrick Dorgu
- Luke Shaw, with his injury record the key concern
In midfield and attack:
- Casemiro, whose departure has already been confirmed
- Mason Mount
- Manuel Ugarte
- Joshua Zirkzee
Eight players, spanning experience, profiles and positions. In Scholes’ eyes, all surplus to a serious title challenge.
For some, such as Casemiro, the decision is already made. For others, including Mount and Zirkzee, the criticism bites harder: these are signings meant to be part of the next cycle, not already under question.
A new spine: Lamine and de Ligt
Not everyone came in for criticism. Scholes reserved particular praise for the man currently anchoring United’s revival from the back.
Young goalkeeper Sene Lamine, he argued, has transformed the team’s stability after a turbulent spell under André Onana. Where uncertainty once rippled through the back line, Lamine has brought calm, presence and authority.
Scholes described him as the real turning point in United’s consistency, the foundation on which Carrick’s resurgence has been built.
Alongside Lamine, he pinpointed Matthijs de Ligt as non-negotiable. For Scholes, the Dutchman must remain a central pillar of the defence, a better long-term option than Maguire and the kind of defender around whom a new, more ruthless back line can be constructed.
Keep Lamine. Keep de Ligt. Almost everything else, in his vision, is up for debate.
A brutal vision for a winning United
Strip away the shock value and Scholes’ argument is clear: United’s mini-revival cannot mask the scale of the rebuild still required if the club truly wants to stand alongside Europe’s elite again.
His solution is unforgiving – a summer of big decisions, big exits and a squad trimmed of anyone who does not fit the physical, tactical and mental demands of a title-winning side.
Carrick’s team are climbing the table. The Champions League is within reach. The mood around Old Trafford is lighter than it has been in years.
If the club listens to Scholes, that mood will collide with a ruthless reality once the window opens.
