Paul Scholes believes the Manchester United stars were guilty of ‘taking the f***’ last season when they posted their worst Premier League points tally.
United ended the season in sixth place after a disappointing campaign that saw them amass just 58 points – 35 points behind eventual champions and rowdy neighbors Manchester City
It was a far cry from the previous season when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the club to a comfortable second place.
But a change in momentum at the start of the 2021/22 season saw United deteriorate, leading to the Norwegian’s demise and Ralf Rangnick taking over as caretaker boss.
Speaking to former United team-mate Gary Neville on The Overlap, Scholes did not take his verdict on why last season turned forgetful for his former side.
“Unless you’re involved it’s very hard to tell – from the outside it looked like the players were taking the shit out a bit,” said the Old Trafford legend.
“They did what they wanted. They went onto the football pitch and were in their own world, doing what they wanted to do rather than what was expected of them or what the manager wanted them to do. they do.
“The performances just disappeared.”
Last summer, Manchester United splashed out £126m to acquire Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo in hopes of closing the gap on City.
After what seemed like a declaration of intent, United instead regressed with Varane and Sancho unable to continue their excellent form from their previous clubs, while an aging Ronaldo provided goals but his presence altered the style of play for United.
Scholes admits he wasn’t entirely happy with arrivals at Old Trafford and questioned Neville’s assumption that many connected with the club saw him as an ‘incredible window’.
Scholes continued: “Looking back, was it good? Was it really? You have a young player from Germany [Sancho] for whom you have spent a lot of money. He did well in Germany, don’t get me wrong, but he hasn’t proven himself in the Premier League.
“Cristiano has proven himself – of course he was – but he was 36? Are they big signings?
“Varane – I still think why a club like Real Madrid would let Varane go? There must have been something wrong, and if you looked at him last season, he didn’t look good. He was always hurt, always something was wrong with him.
“So when it comes to the transfer window, people got carried away because of the names.
“I didn’t think it was great.”