Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has insisted that whoever is the club’s next manager needs to be able to scare his players like Sir Alex Ferguson used to.
The Red Devils great must be struggling to see his old club in their current state, as he enjoyed so much success in a glorious playing career at Old Trafford.
Man Utd suffered another huge disappointment last night as they were dumped out of the Champions League after a 1-0 home defeat against Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s side were the better team overall, even though United went into the second leg in a strong position after a 1-1 draw away from home in the first game.
Speaking after the game, Scholes made it clear what he wants to see change at Old Trafford once a new manager comes in in the summer, saying they need someone Ferguson-like to get more out of this group of players.
“I think they’re an elite coach away from challenging for trophies again. They’ve got a good squad with some top players, but for the last three or four years, they’ve not had an elite coach,” Scholes told BT Sport, as quoted by the Daily Mirror.
“You need a manager that strikes fear into players, Sir Alex Ferguson had that, have any of the managers since him had that? I don’t think so. It’s a special talent to have as a coach.
“Those Man City players under Pep [Guardiola], those Liverpool players under [Jurgen] Klopp, they’ll get away with nothing. These players here (United) for the last two or three years have got away with murder.
“I’m not saying they’ll catch Man City or Liverpool, but I don’t think they’re far away from Chelsea, squad-wise, but once they get that right coach and have two or three years to build, they’ll be challenging again.”
When pressed on which managers he’d have in mind for the job, Scholes named two from United’s Premier League rivals.
“I would have gone for [Antonio] Conte or [Thomas] Tuchel,” he said. “It looks like one might be available at the end of the season.
“Those are two top class coaches that strike fear into players and win, which is the most important thing. United, with either one of those managers, would be much better off.”