Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was not shy in taking aim at the club’s interim boss, on the back of another disappointing result on Saturday afternoon.

Ralf Rangnick of course guided his troops back into action earlier today, eyeing a bounce-back result against Southampton after slipping to a disappointing 1-1 stalemate with Burnley in midweek.

When all was said and done at Old Trafford, however, the Red Devils, once more, were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

This comes after Jadon Sancho’s first-half opener was cancelled out shortly after the interval by Che Adams, dealing another blow to Manchester United’s hopes of clinching a top-4 berth.

And, as alluded to above, one individual who evidently feels as though much of the blame for the club’s struggles must be attributed to boss Rangnick is Paul Scholes.

Speaking to BT Sport on the back of the full-time whistle in Manchester on Saturday, club legend Scholes called into question the lack of long-term planning at Old Trafford, before suggesting that his ex-club’s current boss belongs in the boardroom, rather than the dugout:

“The sacking of Ole was coming, we all knew that but we all felt that, where was the plan?”, Scholes questioned. ”There has to be a plan, there has to be an elite, top coach into the football club to revive the football club.

“It’s Manchester United, they should have the best of everything and to not have a plan and bring what is a sporting director, he’s coached a team two years out of the last 10.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like the man, he comes across well, but he’s looked like he’s lacked coaching in the last five or six years. They’re a team of individuals, you look at the difference today in Man United to Southampton.

‘He’s a director’: Man United legend questions Rangnick’s credentials after Southampton stalemate

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 05: Ralf Rangnick, manager of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on December 05, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“Southampton were brilliant, the coaching, methods, passages of play, it was fantastic.

“You look at Manchester United and they were all over the place. McTominay was left on his own in midfield, Pogba left on his own in midfield, where Bruno Fernandes is playing, I don’t know.

“He’s playing all over the pitch, the wide players don’t work hard enough, it isn’t always about being in possession, sometimes you’ve got to do stuff that is ugly that gives you a bit of pain. So often this team jog back and it’s so easy to play against.

“One team have got a proper coach, the other team has a sporting director which isn’t right for Manchester United.”

Top-4 slipping away

United’s latest point secured on Saturday actually saw the Red Devils climb a place in the Premier League table, leapfrogging Arsenal into 5th.

The Gunners, however, boast not one, but two games in hand on Ralf Rangnick and co. at present.

This means that, should both Arsenal and north London rivals Tottenham secure 3-point hauls in their respective games in hand, Manchester United are primed to slip as low as 7th in the English top-flight, amid a season that is, on the whole, quickly spiralling out of control.

 

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