Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has criticised captain Bruno Fernandes for speaking out after the club’s 2-0 defeat by newly promoted Hull City in the opening round of the Premier League.
Manchester United were beaten at the MKM Stadium on Saturday after conceding twice from first-half set pieces against a Hull side widely tipped for relegation before the season began.
Fernandes questioned his team-mates’ performance in his post-match media duties, saying Manchester United had made “the same mistakes as in away games last season.”
The Portugal midfielder added: “Every away game, we give too much possession to the opponent. In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper had the most touches.”
He also said: “We need to press more, be more aggressive, and we also need to work harder on set pieces. We can’t concede goals like that. Against these types of teams, they’re just waiting for that moment.”
Scholes, speaking on his podcast, said he was unclear about which specific mistakes Fernandes was referring to and felt the captain’s own performance should have made him more cautious about criticising the team.
“I’d love to know what he actually meant by that. What mistakes exactly?” said the 51-year-old.
“Especially given how he played himself, I think it’s best to keep quiet. His own performance wasn’t great either.”
Scholes and former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin also discussed comments made by Fernandes and Luke Shaw after the match. They suggested the players’ remarks risked weakening the authority of manager Michael Carrick.
Shaw said: “This isn’t our standard, and we knew it would be like this. I think overall, as a collective, we could have prepared better, especially knowing how strong they are at set pieces and the threats they pose.”
Scholes interpreted the left-back’s comments as criticism of the coaching staff and Carrick.
“Luke Shaw always has to say something. This is a dig at your coaching staff and your manager. If one of your players says something like that, you’d think, ‘Damn it, I should have them in on Monday morning.’”
Dublin said the players needed to consider whether their interviews would help or further damage the situation.
“What you need is silence. If the captain has to speak, he has to speak, but he also has to make sure what he says doesn’t make things worse. You can’t give anyone ammunition, because your performance has already provided it.”
Scholes said the issue went beyond respect, arguing that the players had publicly undermined Carrick and his coaching team.
“The problem with these comments isn’t just about respect, but about undermining the manager and what he’s said before. These are all digs at the manager and the coaching staff. If we as players had said that to Sir Alex Ferguson, ‘We weren’t ready,’ damn it, you’d be called in immediately, and he’d probably tear you apart in front of the whole team.”
Dublin had previously warned that Carrick’s transition from interim manager to permanent boss could prove difficult because of his close relationship with the squad.
“The hardest part is that during his interim manager period, he was like a friend, like a colleague to the players. Now that he’s officially appointed, the hardest thing will be to sever those ties, and I think that will be difficult for a good person like Michael.”
He added: “But now he’s the manager, he has to stop with the ‘How are you, mate,’ ‘How’s it going, pal,’ ‘Fancy a drink.’ That can’t happen anymore. Now it’s: I’m the manager, you’re the player. Do what I say.”
Scholes also examined the defensive error that allowed Hull to open the scoring from a corner. Harry Maguire initially put his arm around Mazraoui before losing track of Junior Ajayi, who was the defender’s actual marking assignment and headed the ball into the net.
“The only thing I can think of is that he lost his defensive position. He was watching the ball, felt someone in front of him, and then just held onto him,” Scholes said.
“That doesn’t look good, does it? I’d like to hear his explanation.”
Manchester United’s next match is at home against newly promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday.
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