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Paul Scholes Explains Viral Criticism of Michael Carrick at Man Utd

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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that he exchanged texts with current interim manager Michael Carrick after his criticism went viral. The pundit caused a stir when he aimed a dig at his former midfield partner following the Red Devils’ recent loss to Newcastle.

Carrick had made a brilliant start to life at Old Trafford since taking over from Ruben Amorim in January, but had his first taste of defeat when William Osula scored a wonderful goal right at the death to earn a 2-1 win for the Magpies, who were down to ten men. Immediately after the loss, Scholes took to Instagram to write:

“Michael has definitely got something special about him… Cos Utd have been CRAP last 4 games.”

Carrick Sent Text to Scholes After Man Utd Criticism

michael carrick

Seeing as the pair played together 160 times, with almost all of those appearances coming for Man Utd and one for England, many were shocked by Scholes comments about Carrick. What’s more, the Englishman has impressed most since taking charge at Old Trafford, winning six of his first eight games, with one draw and one defeat in total.

Amid the backlash, Scholes has now clarified his comments, while also revealing how Carrick feels about it all. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, the 51-year-old explained:

“It was in no way intended to be offensive towards Michael. Michael is one of the nicest people you will ever meet in football, he’d be the last person that I would want to offend.

“I messaged Michael anyway. I went straight to Michael and said, ‘Look, I was never intending to upset you’. And I don’t think I needed to say that anyway, and he told me himself he wasn’t upset by it.”

Paul Scholes on punditry duty before Leicester City v Manchester United in 2020.


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Carrick has won six out of seven games since taking over, but Scholes has explained why he still has his doubts.

Scholes Clarifies What He Meant Amid Evra Criticism

There have been plenty who took issue with Scholes’ post, including Man Utd icon Patrice Evra. The former left-back, who played with both men, couldn’t believe it was even real, saying:

“I hope Paul Scholes’ Instagram story is fake. I hope he was hacked. To be honest, I’m not surprised at that from Scholesy. He was the quietest player I’ve ever played with in my entire career. Now, in the media, he drops bombshells.”

Scholes, however, has justified his comments by saying that he only wanted to highlight his issue with recent performances under Carrick. He said:

“I think people have just taken it differently from what was meant. The only thing I was saying was that I don’t think they played that well the last four games and he’s still managing to get results.

“We had the greatest manager in the world and he always said sometimes you need a bit of luck. So with sending-offs and different things that happen through games, sometimes you do need a bit of luck, that’s all I was saying.”

Former teammate Wes Brown, who was on the podcast, added: “I can see it both ways. When Scholesy explained it to me, it completely made sense. But how I read it was as if he’s having a go at him.”

Scholes then replied: “What Wes said, and I hadn’t heard that before, was that I was saying he’s just a lucky manager. I wasn’t saying that, I was saying he’s a very talented manager because he’s getting results with a team that, for the last four games since the West Ham game, I didn’t think were playing very well, that’s all.”

Man Utd currently sit third in the Premier League, only ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference. They host Unai Emery’s men next Sunday, 15 March.

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Arsenal Lower Asking Price For Gabriel Jesus

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Arsenal are set for a more considered approach to their summer transfer business than some of their rivals, with minor tweaks expected to the squad over the coming weeks on the market.

Given the strength in depth in the Gunners’ ranks, any moves in are likely to come after exits, with a key goal for Andrea Berta likely to be the improvement of fees accrued via sales.

Several stars have been linked with deals elsewhere, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli attracting interest from clubs away from the Premier League.

However, there is also the possibility of an exit for Gabriel Jesus this summer.

Arsenal Lower Gabriel Jesus Asking Price

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal's Kai Havertz

One player who Arsenal are open to an exit for is Gabriel Jesus, as the Brazilian enters the final year under contract at the Emirates Stadium.

The forward has struggled for form and fitness over recent seasons, making 27 appearances last season with six goals and two assists to his name across all competitions.

Given his struggles in getting back to top form, Arsenal could sanction a sale, as Caught Offside reports that the Gunners have lowered their asking price for the forward.

It’s claimed that the Gunners are now willing to listen to offers in the range of £20 million to £25 million to let the 29-year-old leave this summer.

The club had initially set a valuation of £30 million for Jesus, who was previously linked with a move to Serie A as well as a return to Brazil with Palmeiras.

However, a sale at that price point isn’t seemingly possible, and now Arsenal are keen to lower that valuation in an effort to get a deal done.

Jesus is believed to be among the top-earners at the club, earning around £265,000-a-week, and an exit could help save some money on the club’s books.

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Arsenal May Want Versatile Replacement

Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta
via Reuters

An exit for Jesus may come at a fitting point, given that his arrival signalled Arsenal’s first real push to win the Premier League, and his exit comes with a winners’ medal in hand.

His initial signing brought plenty of quality, a mixture of physicality and technical brilliance that left opposition defenders on tenterhooks when trying to face off with him.

The injuries have started to pile up and that spark has now seemingly gone, so an exit in the final year of his deal could be wise to help recoup some money towards another key signing.


Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates Champions League win against Atletico Madrid


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Arsenal have been linked with a move for a midfielder this summer, as they look to improve their options in the centre of the pitch.

A similarly versatile option could be desired, someone who is capable of playing as a centre-forward behind Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, but can also receive minutes out wide.

Transfer target Christos Tzolis can certainly provide some of that, largely featuring on the left wing with an ability to play as a centre-forward.

However, it remains to be seen whether a different marquee arrival could replace Jesus this summer.

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Tottenham Transfer Strategy As We Know It Is Officially Over

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Roberto De Zerbi has already made a huge difference to Tottenham Hotspur on the pitch and now he is working his magic off the pitch in the summer transfer window.

The Italian arrived in north London at the end of March following a dreadful interim spell in charge of the club by Igor Tudor. The Lilywhites were in a perilous situation, staring down the barrel of a first relegation to the second tier in nearly 50 years.

But he turned the club’s fortunes around and a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the season secured their Premier League status.

Four new signings have already arrived at Tottenham

Jan Paul Van Hecke
Jan Paul Van Hecke

And that has allowed them to delve into the transfer market and make changes to an ailing squad to give De Zerbi what he requires to push the club back towards the top of the table once more.

Four signings have already been made – three of them free transfers – with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka and Jan Paul van Hecke all arriving in N17.

Spurs have had a £75million bid for Sandro Tonali knocked back by Newcastle and are in talks over an £85million move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.

It’s clear with De Zerbi at the helm and the Lewis family vowing to invest in the squad, a new approach has come to light at Spurs.

Tottenham securing either or even both of Fernandes and Tonali would see them break their transfer record, which stands at £65million paid to Bournemouth for Dominic Solanke two years ago.

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Talk of breaking transfer records has barely happened in the white half of north London over the past decade and here we are speaking about it potentially happening not once, but twice.

And we haven’t even got to rumours around striker signings yet, the closest we have come being wide forwards like Savinho and more recently Crysencio Summerville.

Spurs have changed their approach under their new head coach

Roberto De Zerbi clapping the Tottenham fans

What do all the names above linked with a move to Spurs have in common? They are readymade, Premier League-experienced players. It is a win-now approach from De Zerbi that the owners appear to be getting behind.

Under former chairman Daniel Levy, Spurs would often be slow and meticulous in the market, with Levy known as a tough negotiator, someone who would always eke out the very best deal for his club. That would often come at the detriment of the squad, with transfers left to the very last moment, or even too late to get done.

Ignoring the free transfers, Spurs splashed out £52million on van Hecke from Brighton and after two failed bids, got the deal done. They saw the player they wanted, they haggled over price for a short time, but relatively quickly signed their man. Spurs know what they want and are going after it. It is a refreshing approach.

Spurs have been stuck in what has felt like an endless loop of transition, building for the future. Under De Zerbi, the Lilywhites are building for the here and now. It is a new approach and it remains to be seen if it is successful, but the old Tottenham in the transfer market is dead.


Roberto De Zerbi


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Tottenham are continuing to assess midfield options this summer, and could land a star compared to Declan Rice.

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Lewis Hall Wants to Join Man Utd and Play in the Champions League

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Manchester United have received a fresh summer transfer window boost with the news that an England international star wants to join them this summer, according to the Sun.

Man United sprung into action immediately after the end of the Premier League season and quickly agreed a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta, as they look to transform their central midfield ahead of next term when they return to the Champions League.

The Red Devils may have expected to get another midfielder through the door by now, but business has been complicated by the 2026 World Cup and the valuations being set by clubs for their targets.

A move for their top summer target Elliot Anderson proved inhibitive, with Manchester City agreeing a huge £116m deal to sign the Nottingham Forest star.

United turned their attention to West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes, who they would have hoped to land for a reasonable fee after the Irons were relegated to the Championship.

However, the Irons are in no mood to sell their prized asset on the cheap, and they are demanding a fee of between £80-85m to begin concrete talks over a sale.

United are considering strengthening other positions too, including on the left-hand side.

Lewis Hall Wants to Join Man United

lewis hall england via Reuters

According to the Sun, one of the other positions they could bolster in this summer transfer window is left-back.

Luke Shaw started all 38 of United’s Premier League matches last term having suffered from injury issues previously, but there is little quality and depth behind him in that position, especially if the Red Devils decide to use Patrick Dorgu further forward on a full-time basis.

The increased workload of a Champions League campaign could increase Shaw’s risk of injury too, with Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall one player they have been looking at.

The Sun report that the £70m-rated Englishman is keen to join United and play for them in the Champions League, especially after believing that Eddie Howe cost him his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad this summer, after how he was managed during Newcastle’s run-in last term.

Newcastle have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and at a time when Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Tino Livramento are all being linked with exits, they must try and keep hold of some of those players, including Hall.

The Magpies are said to be loath to sell the full-back to United in particular, given he has three years remaining on his contract.

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United Identify Fernandes Alternatives

West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes celebrates scoring Premier League goal against Sunderland via Reuters

Not only are United being put off by West Ham’s high valuation of Fernandes, but the emergence of Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the 21-year-old has made things even more difficult.

Should the Red Devils fail to land the Portuguese star, they do have other targets on their radar this summer, with Premier League experience.

Two of those, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, are Brighton and Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba and Alex Scott of Bournemouth, while Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni remains Michael Carrick’s ‘dream’ target.

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