Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has criticized the club’s manager, Erik ten Hag, for signing André Onana and Matthijs de Ligt, stating that neither player is good enough for Manchester United or Ten Hag’s style of play.
United signed Onana from Inter Milan two summers ago for a reported £47 million. However, the Cameroonian goalkeeper has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, facing significant criticism for his performances. Last season, Onana played 38 Premier League games, conceding 58 goals while keeping nine clean sheets. This season, he has already let in five goals in just three league matches.
Ten Hag also brought in De Ligt from Bayern Munich this summer for a reported £43 million, but the Dutch defender has only made one start so far—a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Scholes, speaking to The Mirror, expressed doubts about both players’ abilities to fit into Ten Hag’s system. “When Pep [Guardiola] first started playing from the back, you thought, ‘wow, that’s brilliant,’ and he still does it now. Arteta’s Arsenal are good at it, but the players have to be good enough to pull it off,” Scholes said. “I think Ten Hag wants to do the same with Onana and De Ligt, but they’re just not good enough at it, and they end up just kicking it long.”