Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has picked out the Red Devils’ centre-backs as two of his old side’s biggest problems.
Reacting to United’s underwhelming 0-0 draw against Chelsea during Sunday’s latest round of fixtures, Scholes gave a brilliant analysis of why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils are struggling to break teams down.
Sunday’s game saw neither side break the deadlock with the Red Devils resigned to bemoaning a dubious penalty call as their only excuse for not taking all three points.
Speaking to Premier League productions after the match, former midfielder Scholes, as quoted by Express, said: “A lot of the problems I see are them two centre-halves and goalkeeper – well, not so much goalkeeper today – but the centre-halves need protecting.
“Which means you’ve got to have your two holding midfield players right next to them all the time and it takes away everything from your attacking ability.
“They don’t get up the pitch, they can’t keep the ball in the last third of the pitch because they can’t sustain attacks because they’re too deep.
“And this is recurring now that keeps going on.”
Going on to address his old side’s lack of killing edge, which has seen them score just once against their top-six rivals so far this season, Scholes said: “If they’re going to get to that next level they’ve got to be braver, they’ve got to be braver in the centre of the pitch.”
“The two centre-halves, leave them, let them defend.
“Who are you playing against? An average Chelsea forward. Not average, because I like Giroud, but he’s not going to run away from anyone. He’s perfect for them two today.
“Mason Mount isn’t going to run away from them, Ziyech isn’t quick, no pace. They’ve got nothing to worry about.
“Let your midfield players join in attacks and at least contribute something to the attacking side of the game.”
United’s on-field woes have been well-documented in recent weeks.
Despite currently sitting in second place in the Premier League, the fact rivals Man City are now 12-points clear at the top should serve as a stark reminder of the improvements which still need to be made.
It is not yet known if the club’s hierarchy will delve into the transfer window in search of a new centre-back, however, the likes of Jules Kounde and Raphael Varane have both been heavily linked with a move.
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