Paul Scholes' blunt verdict on Man United's style ignites debate in the INEOS era

Paul Scholes has poured fuel on a long-running Manchester United debate, saying the club has lost its edge for risk and entertainment. His comments hit a nerve, with supporters challenging whether United should chase a throwback identity or stick with a modern rebuild. As someone who has stood in hostile stadiums with games on a knife edge, I get the tension: fans want flair and shots, but they also want structure. Under the new INEOS-led setup, expectations around style, wingers and chance creation will only grow. This storm is less about a single quote and more about who United want to be.

Scholes’ remarks surfaced during recent public comments that were widely circulated the same day. The discussion unfolded amid Manchester United’s structural reset under INEOS, with new leadership figures such as Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox shaping recruitment and football operations. Supporters quickly weighed in across platforms, pushing back on the idea of returning to an old blueprint and arguing for patience with the current project. The broader context is United’s search for a clear attacking identity - especially out wide - and how that aligns with modern tactical demands and the club’s heritage at Old Trafford.

🚨🗣️ Paul Scholes: "Man United is about risk and entertainment, more than anything, having fans on the edge of their seat, ready to f*cking go! Wingers who beat people, shots on goal, bits of skills. there’s nothing there, that's from the club. We talk about this is a different

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

Scholes’ words matter because they tap straight into the club’s DNA debate: is Manchester United primarily about risk, wing play and shots from everywhere, or about control and structure first. In dressing rooms I’ve been part of, these conversations spill into training - players start second guessing whether to take on the extra man or recycle the ball. That slight hesitation kills rhythm. At United, the spotlight falls on the wide players. Fans want wingers who beat people, hit the box early and raise the volume inside Old Trafford.

From a football operations lens, this ramps up pressure on recruitment and coaching. If the squad is built to attack through direct wide play, you need profiles who can win 1v1s repeatedly, arrive at the back post and still press with intensity. If the plan is a more controlled, positional game, then fans must tolerate phases with fewer high-risk dribbles and more patient circulation. INEOS will be judged on whether the sporting structure backs a consistent identity - data-led targeting of wide threats, clearer patterns in the final third, and a higher baseline of shots and touches inside the box.

Publicly, these comments also shape media narratives. Every flat first half becomes proof that United are off-brand. Conversely, a game with aggressive wing play resets the storyline overnight. The biggest risk is mixed messaging: if the plan is transition-heavy football, say it and live it. If it is control-based, explain the trade-offs. Clarity will lower the temperature and help the players commit without fear.

Reaction

The fan reaction skews critical of Scholes. Many argue the game has changed and that leaning on a 1990s-2000s template is a trap. Several point out that United’s churn of systems - 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, even back threes - has been more about survival than identity, and that ex-players publicly hammering managers only adds turbulence. A common thread: if Class of 92 voices want change, they should outline a coherent plan rather than pining for the past. Some go further, calling them part of the problem and insisting they would struggle in the dugout under today’s scrutiny.

There is also a defense of the current project under INEOS. Fans highlight that structural hires take time to filter into recruitment and on-pitch habits. References to Berrada and Wilcox pop up alongside calls for patience and better squad building, not just quotes about entertainment. One voice concedes that United should be exciting but warns against copying a Ferguson-era style for decades without innovation. Another insists the real bottleneck is aligning signings with the head coach’s vision, not chasing nostalgia.

That said, a minority echo Scholes on identity - Old Trafford expects risk and edge, and the team too often feels safe. Even those critics, though, tend to pivot back to the idea that the solution is strategic clarity rather than soundbites. The overall tone: respect the legend, but stop stoking fires that managers and players then have to put out every weekend.

Social reactions

always doing the most, can you give it a break Paul, this is the reality, we are rock bottom and we are trying to build it back up.

Daoideology (@Daoideology)

I wish i had the opportunity to meet paul Scholes in person, i would have asked him this question. If Sir Alex Chapman Ferguson ever had a clue about ManUtd before taken the job in 1986

THE TRUTH (@mhmmdskanu)

Scholes is a silly cunt that knows fuck all. Start calling out the glazers or fuck off

Killstreak (@Killstr13598854)

Prediction

Short term, expect press conferences dominated by questions on identity, wing play and entertainment. The club’s line will likely emphasize process - that structural changes are in place, execution will follow and the wide players will be empowered. Internally, coaches will double down on repeatable patterns: clearer triggers for 1v1s, more aggressive runs to the near and far post, and a higher floor for shot volume. If United manage an early goal in their next home game via a direct wide action, the noise subsides quickly.

Medium term, recruitment will tell the truth. If the model banks on wingers, United will target profiles who carry the ball under pressure, finish at the back post and contribute 10-15 goals a season. Expect a closer look at wide forwards who can press in straight lines and still combine in tight spaces. Youth development will mirror this - more minutes for attackers with natural 1v1 instincts, even if it means living with turbulence.

On the communication front, INEOS will avoid a public spat with Scholes but privately reinforce messaging discipline. The next months will likely bring data-friendly talking points - entries into the box, xG from wide areas, and 1v1 attempt rates - to show tangible steps. If performances fail to shift, the debate hardens and the spotlight swings back to whether the head coach and the recruitment team are aligned. If they rise, Old Trafford will feel like itself again, and this flare-up becomes a footnote.

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Conclusion

I’ve been in squads where a single quote can snowball into a full-blown identity crisis. The way out is not sniping, it is clarity. United must define the balance between risk and control, then build every drill, selection and signing around that promise. If you say the winger has license to attack, you live with the turnover and coach the counterpress. If you want control, you sell the patience and trust the crowd to understand why some attacks slow down.

Scholes is channeling a real heartbeat of Old Trafford: excitement matters. But excitement without a framework becomes chaos, and today’s Premier League punishes chaos. The responsibility now lies with the leadership group to lock the plan, protect the dressing room from noise and select players who fit the idea. The fans will forgive bumps if they see a thread from week to week - how chances are built, where the overloads come, why the wingers attack certain spaces. If that thread becomes visible, the conversation shifts from nostalgia to progress, and the club’s identity will not be something they chase. It will be something they play.