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Man United stars 'took the p***' as Scholes slams Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho deals

talksport.com, 30 September 2022, 10:47
Paul Scholes believes Manchester United's stars were guilty of 'taking the p***' last season as they posted their worst-ever Premier League points tally.

United finished the season in sixth place after a disappointing campaign that saw them amass just 58 points - 35 points adrift of eventual champions, and noisy neighbours, Manchester City

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It was a far cry from the previous season when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the club to a comfortable second-placed finish.

But a shift in momentum at the start of the 2021/22 season saw United deteriorate, leading to the demise of the Norwegian and Ralf Rangnick taking over as interim boss.

Speaking to former United teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap, Scholes didn't hold back on his verdict of why last season became a forgetful one for his former side.

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"Unless you're involved, it's very hard to tell - it looked from the outside as if players were taking the p*** a little bit," said the Old Trafford legend.

"They were doing what they want. They were going on to the football pitch and being in their own world, doing what they wanted to do rather than doing what was expected of them, or what the manager wanted them to do.

"The performances just went."

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Last summer Manchester United spent £126million acquiring the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo in hope of closing the gap to City.

After what appeared to be a statement of intent, United instead regressed with Varane and Sancho unable to continue their excellent form from their previous clubs, whilst an aging Ronaldo provided goals but his presence altered United's style of play.

Scholes admits he wasn't entirely happy about the incomings at Old Trafford and questioned Neville's assumption that many people connected with the club viewed it as an 'unbelievable window'.

Scholes continued: "Looking back, was it though? Was it really? You've got a young player from Germany [Sancho] who you've spent a lot of money on. He's done great in Germany, don't get me wrong, but he was unproven in the Premier League.

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"Cristiano was proven - of course he was - but he was 36? Are they great signings?

"Varane - I always think why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go? There must have been something not quite right, and if you looked at him last season, he didn't look right. He was always injured, always something wrong with him.

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"So as far as the transfer window went, people got carried away with it because of names.

"I didn't think it was great."

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