Paul Scholes has made a brutally honest admission about Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes despite the Portuguese scoring the winning goal during the Red Devils’ 3-2 win against Burnley on Saturday.
In the last moments of Man United’s Premier League match against Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday, Fernandes scored a penalty kick to give the Red Devils their first victory of the 2025–26 season.
Even though the outcome was favorable, Ruben Amorim is still under pressure because some people are doubting his status after last week’s Carabao Cup loss to League Two Grimsby.
The 40-year-old Amorim will be hoping that this summer’s additions—Matheus Cunha, Enzo Kana-Biyik, Diego Leon, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, and Senne Lammens—will help his team’s fortunes following the international break, but Scholes and others are not persuaded by the Portuguese team’s current system.
During Tuesday’s episode of the Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes discussed United’s current predicament with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
“I think a lot of good teams have the midfield sorted…” Scholes said.
“There’s too much indecision in the midfield area, you think of Casemiro – he’s been a brilliant player, but we know his deficiencies, don’t we?
“Fernandes (and Casemiro), they’re the two he’s going with, and Fernandes for me, he’s someone who fills in as a midfielder – he might get away with it for one, two or three games.
“He’s not got the discipline to be a central midfield player.”
Both Fernandes and Casemiro have started all three Premier League matches so far this campaign, while Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte have been forced to watch from the bench.
He added: “Bringing two numbers tens (Cunha and Mbeumo) was that really necessary? You think you’ve got Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo can do that… If you’ve done that and wasted a bit of money and not been able to get a midfield player or a goalkeeper, it’s not great recruitment-wise is it?
“I can’t make better what a lot of the problems are in the team, which are two central midfield players, and the goalkeepers are massive.”
The MEN stated on Tuesday that United “did not consider” acquiring a midfield player during the summer transfer window, notwithstanding Scholes’ opinion.
Although United asked about Carlos Baleba’s availability, sources claimed that “the midfield was never a priority due to already having options that the club views as strong and versatile.”
Following this, United will take a two-week vacation before playing Manchester City at the Etihad on September 14 to kick off the Premier League season.
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