Forget the midfield – Scholes tells Man Utd to address another plaguing issue as he roasts an entire department

Paul Scholes believes Manchester United have a major problem at the back that they must try to fix before the end of the summer.

The Premier League giants identified the midfield revamp as their main objective of the transfer session. They have already brought in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, while a third newcomer could arrive before the deadline.

United are also planning to address the left-back issue by bringing in a new player who can share the role with Luke Shaw.

On the contrary, INEOS appear to be content with their current centre-back options.

Paul Scholes torches Man Utd’s centre-back department

After selling Tyler Fredricson to INEOS-owned Lausanne-Sport, Man Utd are preparing to begin the new season with five centre-backs: Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, and Ayden Heaven.

On paper, five players should be more than enough to cover two roles. However, Scholes offers a worrying, thorough assessment of the department.

The 1999 treble winner argues that United don’t have enough quality at the back to compete for the Premier League title, especially amidst their injury woes.

“Centre-halves are still a problem; Manchester United still need better centre-halves – the current players don’t have the quality, where I am judging Manchester United, to go on and win the Premier League,” argued Scholes on The Overlap Fan Debate.

“You need centre-backs who are reliable every single week. We’ve got [Harry] Maguire, who has started to pick up some [injury] niggles, Lisandro Martinez – the lad just can’t stay fit now. When he’s fit, he is a good player, don’t get me wrong.”

The legendary midfielder also feels that Leny Yoro has yet to reach the required level, while Matthijs de Ligt might be the club’s best defender when fit.

“They’ve got Leny Yoro, who has struggled over the last two years – it looks like the [Premier League] level is above him and [hopefully] he might come on [a bit this season].

“If de Ligt is fit and playing every week, he’s possibly Manchester United’s best centre-half. But again, that’s a question mark against centre-halves. You can’t have those question marks.”

Should Man Utd pursue a new defender?

In recent days, reliable German journalist Christian Falk revealed that Man Utd are still interested in Kim Min-jae.

Although the South Korean is said to be happy at Bayern Munich, this shows that MUFC are keeping tabs on defenders, even though they aren’t actively pursuing anyone at the moment.

Given how INEOS are currently fixated on buying a new left-back and possibly another midfielder, it appears that the centre-back role isn’t a priority for the club this summer.

At this stage, it could be that Carrick and the management will give the current defensive crop another go, and based on the outcome, they will decide whether they must intervene next summer, or perhaps as early as January if mid-season reinforcement is urgently needed.

This decision would hinge on Martinez De Ligt’s physical condition, as well as Yoro and Heaven’s development, not to mention Maguire’s future, as the experienced Englishman is running on an expiring contract.

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